Center for Excellence in Assisted Living

In April 2003, the Assisted Living Workgroup (ALW), a diverse group of 50 provider, consumer, and professional organizations, presented its report to the Senate Special Committee on Aging. This report, titled "Assuring Quality in Assisted Living: Guidelines for Federal and State Policy, State Regulation, and Operations," contained recommendations for quality improvement in assisted living. A key recommendation in the report was to create a Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL). A representative from the Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living serves on the Board of Directors of the CEAL.

The mission of CEAL is to foster access to high quality assisted living by:

• Creating resources and acting as an objective resource center to facilitate quality improvement in assisted living
• Increasing the availability of research on quality in assisted living
• Providing a national clearinghouse for information on assisted living
• Building upon the work of the Assisted Living Workgroup
• Promoting availability of and innovation for high quality affordable assisted living
• Providing information, tools, and technical expertise to facilitate the development and operations of high quality affordable assisted living programs to serve low- and moderate-income individuals

CCAL was a leader in the Assisted Living Workgroup and helped create the CEAL. CCAL currently serves on the CEAL Board of Directors. Additional information about the CEAL can be found at www.theceal.org .