Trends in Residential Long-Term Care: Use of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living and Characteristics of Facilities and Residents

November 2002 Trends in Residential Long-Term Care: Use of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living and Characteristics of Facilities and Residents Increasing numbers of older adults with disabilities are entering assisted living facilities (ALFs), which are residential settings that offer help with routine personal care activities. Estimates of the total number of persons in such settings vary widely, however, in part because there is no generally accepted definition of assisted living (Lewin-VHI 1996). In 1998, an estimated 521,500 people resided in such facilities, according to a survey sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (Hawes . . .