FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2006

MEDIA CONTACTS: Lisa Gelhaus, National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) at (202) 898-2825 or lgelhaus@ncal.org

Second Annual Assisted Living Quality Summit Announced

WASHINGTON, DC - The Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL) announces the second Assisted Living Quality Summit will be held Thursday, November 30, and Friday, Dec. 1, 2006 in Arlington, Va.

"During the first year, we made important strides in establishing the organization, drawing on various stakeholders to offer two conferences and initiating a dialogue on important issues with the diverse members of our Advisory Council," said CEAL Chair Don Redfoot, a senior policy advisor at AARP Public Policy Institute.

"We are looking forward to the coming year when we launch our information clearinghouse and hold our next major conference on Nov. 30 to Dec. 1, 2006 in Arlington, Virginia. We hope that consumers, providers, regulators, professionals, investors, and other stakeholders will join us as we address the most pressing issues facing assisted living today."

CEAL is a non-profit organization established to foster high quality care by creating resources and acting as an objective resource center to facilitate quality improvement in assisted living. It will also act to increase the availability of research on quality and act as the national clearinghouse for the high quality practices in assisted living.

The 11 founding and participating organizations in CEAL are: AARP, Alzheimer's Association, American Assisted Living Nurses Association, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, American Seniors Housing Association, Assisted Living Federation of America, Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living, National Center for Assisted Living, NCB Development Corporation, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Pioneer Network.