Samenvatting

In order to be able to age in place, Dutch elderly are being housed in Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) for over 25 years. Here they can live independently and rely on care and services. The physical scale of ALFs ranges from 30 up to 300 residents. This paper presents the findings of a multiple case study of 24 projects regarding the impact of physical scale on group mix and social quality. The projects in the population included groups with heavier care need than presumed, leading to two contrary effects: a positive influence of vital elderly on social interaction and informal care, and a negative influence on vital elderly being confronted by the perspective of a more care de-manding future, especially due to the inclusion of people with dementia. However, due to a changing policy and housing demands of elderly, they live longer at home, leading to a higher care needing population within ALFs. These changes undermine the concept of Assisted Living Facilities.