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After a time, many independent seniors reach an age where they need some assistance with their daily living tasks. This does not mean that the senior citizen is in need of constant supervision by a caretaker or a nursing home. Rather, many elderly persons are entirely capable of living independently but for a few key tasks.

It is these seniors who benefit from assisted living programs. With this type of elderly care, the senior typically lives in a large assisted living complex along with other residents of his or her age. He or she possesses a personal apartment and lives a mostly independent life. However, specially trained workers are available within the home care center to provide the senior with any assistance that he or she may require throughout the day. This means that the senior is granted all of the freedom and independence that he or she desires, but still obtains the aid that he or she needs in order to thrive. Although intensive medical services usually must be sought at a nursing home, simpler tasks such as laundry and bathing can be provided by the home care center's staff.

Assisted living complexes are more similar to a localized senior citizen community than to a nursing home or other elderly care facility. The senior receives as much or as little outside attention as he or she desires. As opposed to more regulated types of home care, residents of these complexes are free to schedule their lives as they choose. Many seniors claim that assisted living programs provide an ideal balance of independence, day-to-day care, and companionship.

At most assisted living facilities, seniors are provided with a number of different activities that they can choose to participate in. Game nights, movie nights, specialized clubs, and more will typically meet on a regular basis. These activities provide the home care facility's residents with an excellent opportunity to meet new friends and to stave away the loneliness that so many elderly citizens suffer. Additionally, many of these elderly care centers provide their residents with three cooked meals a day as part of their monthly fee. This is greatly beneficial to seniors who are able to mentally function on their own but are too physically weak to prepare their own food. Residents of the complex are able to gather for a warm meal surrounded by the friends that they have grown to love.

Some of these elderly care facilities also provide their residents with certain health services such as dental, medical, or optometry check ups. Senior citizens are usually charged an extra fee on top of their monthly bill for the utilization of these services. However, this arrangement ensures that the residents will never forget or neglect their personal health care.