Assisted Living: Back to the Future - The New Old Age Blog - NYTimes.com

By PAULA SPAN

It’s right in my neighborhood, so I’ve probably driven past that gracious Victorian house, painted a dusty rose, a zillion times. But because it looks like many other houses in Montclair, N.J. — big old trees, nice landscaping, wraparound deck — I never realized that it was an assisted living facility.

Ever since a 1990’s building boom, the term “assisted living” has conjured up mental images of a three-story stucco building on a highway, with a brass chandelier in the lobby and a “concierge” desk. But long before those places began popping up, many owned by regional and national chains, lots of smaller, homier residences for seniors were tucked into ordinary neighborhoods.

Known by a variety of names (residential care homes, board and care homes, adult foster care, assisted living), sometimes operated by families who share the house with those they care for, they’re still around. In fact, of the one million seniors in assisted living, about a third live in small residences with fewer than 16 residents, estimates Karl Polzer, senior policy director of the National Council on Assisted Living.
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