My 95 year old mother has been in assisted living for 5 years. The costs are astronomical and, frankly, the services are nothing to brag about. Every year the cost goes up dramatically but services remain the same which in most cases are so so. The food is pretty awful especially for someone who grew up in NY on all sorts of ethnic fare. There really isn’t much of an alternative as all of these facilities,at least in MA., cost pretty much the same. They need help desperately and as soon as a patient needs any kind of care, be it minimal ,they call 911. Right now, she’s pretty much settled in and loves the the staff but the money is flying out the window rapidly and she will no doubt see her 100th birthday. I just don’t know where she will be if she does.
Almost everything else is a la cart and people are almost always better off paying for those services in their own home where they generally have a couple choices at various prices which may not be available at the assisted living (e.g. taking in full time health care provider).
Their sending people to the hospital at the drop of a hat is obviously nonsense since that is the worst option for chronic illnesses and common mishaps like falls. The hospital is much more interested in specialists and surgery, not getting well enough to function. The rehab hospitals are a lot better and most beat assisted living hands down. Their purpose is to get people functioning on their own.
The best choice for a given person is the choice that gives them the most control over their lives at their level of capability but to also aim at improving their capability.