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ASSISTED LIVING The first assisted living facility opened in the United States in 1981. This was monumental in providing a continuum of care for seniors and revolutionized how seniors could transition from home to a care facility. Assisted living facilities provide care for seniors who no longer feel safe living independently at home but who don’t qualify for the care provided in a nursing home. Karen Brown Wilson, PhD, who has studied the evolution of assisted living facilities since the early 1980s, wrote: “Like many responses to social conditions, political forces, and economics, assisted living developed on an ad hoc basis. The model seemed to work, it was appealing on its face, and, most important, it responded to a current ailment.”

Assisted living enables older people to live relatively independently in a housing facility. However, they can call for help or assistance when required.

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