Advanced Aging Communities

The U.S. population is aging in record numbers, making the well-being of elderly individuals an increasingly significant social issue. While most older adults prefer and are able to live out their lives at home with informal family or community support, as many as 20 percent of older adults over the age of 85 will require some type of residential long-term care. These settings span a continuum of care from independent living to assisted living to skilled nursing facilities or nursing homes. Nursing homes have long represented the primary residential option for dependent older adults. However, consumer concerns about nursing home quality and demands for less medicalized, more homelike environments have contributed to the popularity of assisted living and its increasingly prominent role in providing long-term ...