For the nation’s growing number of elderly, assisted living facilities have become popular alternatives to nursing homes. Most people move into assisted living when they need just a little care, or simply don’t want to manage a house. But then people age, they get more frail, they develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Ruth Elroy, 87, is a resident at an assisted living apartment facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Her daughter, Cindy Maracay, says a


