july 30, 2013 frontline ran an hour long program with help from propublica detailing some tragedies that happened in assisted living. at the time the documentary was broadcast and published, frontline stated that, "today, nearly 750,000 people live in assisted living facilities across the country. national for-profit chains, concerned both about caring for their residents and pleasing their shareholders, have come to dominate the industry. standards for care and training—and even definitions for the term 'assisted living'—vary from state to state. assisted living facilities, unlike nursing homes, are not regulated by the federal government." an accompanying written brief cites deaths of residents, facilities that are understaffed, employees that are inadequately trained, and that an overall "push to fill facilities and maximize revenues has left staff overwhelmed and the care of residents endangered." a related article by propublica (thomson and jones, july 29, 2013) states that a facility operated by emeritus senior living "...had been found wanting in almost every important regard. and, in truth, those 'specially trained' staffers hadn't actually been trained to care for people with alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, a violation of california law." it goes on to say, "the facility relied on a single nurse to track the health of its scores of residents, and the few licensed medical professionals who worked there tended not to last long," but also that "during some stretches, the facility went months without a full-time nurse on the payroll." propublica's article claimed the problem was not specific to one facility and that "state inspectors for years had cited emeritus facilities across california." emeritus replied to that claim, describing "any shortcomings as isolated," as well as that "any problems that arise are promptly addressed." the company cited their "growing popularity as evidence of consumer satisfaction." comparison between assisted living and personal care in pennsylvania, personal care and assisted living are terms that are defined separately. personal care and assisted living in pa are regulated by the pennsylvania bureau of human services licensing (a division of the department of human services). up until january 2011, the terms "assisted living" and "personal care" were considered interchangeable. at that time, pennsylvania began licensing assisted living facilities separately from personal care facilities. chapter 2800 of the 55 pennsylvania code defines assisted living as "a significant long-term care alternative to allow individuals to age in place," where residents "will receive the assistance they need to age in place and develop and maintain maximum independence, exercise decision-making and personal choice." likewise, chapter 2600 of the 55 pa. code defines personal care as "a premise in which food, shelter and personal assistance or supervision are provided for a period exceeding 24 hours, for four or more adults who are not relatives of the operator, who do not require the services in or of a licensed long-term care facility, but who do require assistance or supervision in activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living." the differences between the two levels of care is broken down into three categories: concept – assisted living residences permit residents to age in place, meaning that even as their health care needs increase, they will not have to relocate to another senior living home to receive that care, such as skilled nursing. construction – assisted living residences must provide residents a private room with a lockable door, a private bathroom and small kitchen. personal care homes are not required to offer these amenities. level of care – assisted living residences must ensure that residents receive skilled nursing care if their needs surpass standard assisted living services. united kingdom assisted living is known as extra-care housing or retirement living which allows residents over the age of 55 or 60 to live independently. they are offered a self-contained flat or bungalow and have staff that are available to them 24 hours a day to provide personal care. staff help with washing, dressing residents, taking medication and they do domestic duties such as shopping and laundry for them, they also prepare and serve meals to residents if provided. residents are often asked whether to own or rent their properties independently, the average cost ranges from £500 to £1,500 depending on where the resident lives. assisted living accommodations would often include a scheme manager or a team of support staff, nurses and care staff onsite, 24-hour emergency alarm systems, communal lounges to socialise with other residents. assisted living housing is regulated by the care quality commission (cqc).