The project involves secondary analysis of an existing database on a national probability sample of all assisted living facilities (ALFs). It also includes a secondary analysis of residents, staff, and facility policies and practices in a nationally representative sample of ALFs that offer either high services, high privacy or both. The analysis compares types of facilities and residents in rural and non-rural areas. It examines the effect of location (rural/non-rural) on price as well as the affordability of assisted living, services, staffing, admission and retention policies, and the potential for residents to age in place. It also examines differences in some quality indicators, such as privacy and environmental autonomy for residents, resident satisfaction, staff knowledge, retention/turnover, and satisfaction, and the availability and provision of services to meet scheduled and unscheduled needs.

Publications

• Assisted Living in Rural America: Results From a National Survey
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 03/2005
  This article examines the assisted living industry in metropolitan and rural areas. Results indicate that assisted living was largely a private-pay form of long-term care and was more common in metropolitan than rural areas. Findings suggest that assisted living will make only a marginal contribution to meeting the needs in rural areas.
• Assisted Living: Is It an Option for Rural Areas?
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 05/2004
  The key findings of a national survey on assisted living are highlighted, including supply, services, and affordability of assisted living facilities in rural areas.
• Expanding Residential Care and Assisted Living in Rural America
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 05/2004
  There is an undersupply of assisted living facilities in rural areas. This policy brief provides options for state policy makers and advocates to consider in expanding the availability and nature of assisted living and other types of housing with supportive services in rural areas.