Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
14:13
A Training Program Using an Agility Ladder for Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Published on: March 7, 2020
Sizing up the market for assisted living
David G Stevenson1, David C Grabowski
1Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. stevenson@med.harvard.edu
Health Affairs (Project Hope)
|January 6, 2010
Summary
Assisted living facilities, a key housing option for seniors, are concentrated in wealthier areas due to private funding. Future policy must address access, financing, and quality of care for this evolving sector.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Health Services Research
- Sociology of Aging
Background:
- Assisted living is a significant housing and long-term care solution for older Americans.
- The assisted living sector has largely developed without substantial government funding or regulation.
- Understanding the national landscape of assisted living supply is crucial for future planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the national supply of assisted living facilities using primary county-level data.
- To understand the factors influencing the geographic distribution of assisted living facilities.
- To inform policy discussions regarding the future of assisted living care.
Main Methods:
- Collection of primary data on assisted living supply at the county level.
- Geographic analysis of facility distribution.
- Correlation of facility location with socioeconomic indicators.
Main Results:
- Assisted living facilities are disproportionately located in areas with higher educational attainment.
- Higher income and housing wealth correlate with greater assisted living facility presence.
- The distribution reflects the sector's reliance on private financial resources.
Conclusions:
- The current distribution of assisted living facilities highlights socioeconomic disparities in access.
- Policymakers face challenges in addressing access, public financing, quality, and regulation.
- Future development requires strategic planning to ensure equitable access to care for all older adults.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Continuing Care
Continuing care describes the variety of health, personal, and social services provided over a prolonged period. The need for continuing care is increasing because people are living longer. Many people do not have families or others to care for them. Continuing care is mainly for patients who are disabled, functionally dependent, or suffering from a terminal disease. It is available within institutional settings or in homes. Examples include nursing centers or facilities, assisted living,...
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Documentation in long-term care facilities and home healthcare settings is crucial for ensuring continuous, coordinated, and comprehensive care for patients. Each setting has its specific documentation processes and tools:
Long-Term Care Facilities
Long-Term Care Facilities
01:26Aging
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural Health Centers
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
Specialized care settings or centers are situated in convenient locations within the community and offer care to a specific group or population. They consist of daycare facilities, mental health facilities, rural health facilities, educational institutions, industries, shelters for the homeless, and rehabilitation facilities.
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...