Assisted living is growing as the preferred home for older adults looking for support outside of an institutional setting, but the state of the sector is “cause for concern,” according to a new report from the AARP Public Policy Institute.
In 2022, more than 1 million people lived in assisted living, and approximately half were aged 85 and older, a 28% increase from 2020, according to AARP. And for the first time, a larger share of residents living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias now call an assisted living community home (44%) over a nursing home (41%), according to the report.
The 2026 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, released last month, found that 58% of residential care communities offer activities or programs for residents living with dementia. Fewer communities have dementia special care units: 21% of assisted living and other residential care communities, and 13% of nursing homes…