An Overview of Assisted Living: 2004

Assisted living has expanded options for many older persons in need of long-term services, enabling them to remain independent in a residential setting, rather than having to move to a nursing home. At the same time, the rapid growth of assisted living has led to concerns about quality, consumer protection, and affordability, and the degree to which the assisted living philosophy is being carried out. In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief, Bernadette Wright provides an overview of these issues and recent efforts to address them. The report also discusses steps that state policymakers could take to ensure that assisted living is consistent with consumers' preferences, to improve access to assisted living for people with low incomes, and to ensure quality. (24 pages)