title: Sizing up the market for assisted living.
abstract: Assisted living has emerged as an important housing and long-term care option for older Americans. To date, development of this sector has occurred largely without government financing or regulation. In this study we used primary data that we collected on county-level assisted living supply to gain a fuller understanding of this sector nationally. Reflecting their reliance on private resources, assisted living facilities are located disproportionately in areas with higher educational attainment, income, and housing wealth. As this sector evolves, policymakers will have to contend with issues related to access to services, public financing, quality of care, and regulatory oversight.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. stevenson@med.harvard.edu
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Grabowski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D003132:Commerce; D005380:Financing, Government; D033161:Government Regulation; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000639:trends; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006798:Housing / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D011050:Policy Making; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States