Assisted living communities are designed for people who do not need daily nursing care but would benefit from assistance with grooming, meals, housekeeping, and transportation. These are licensed facilities that can assist with the activities of daily living in an environment that encourages the senior to maintain independence and a busy, active schedule.

An Assisted Living facility may additionally be specially licensed to provide either "limited nursing care" or even "Extended Congregate Care"  (ECC).  These licenses allow a facility to offer an enhanced scope of services to residents allowing them to "age in place", even as their level of care increases, as long as they do not require skilled 24-hour nursing care.