As the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, here are six things to know about the organization and its achievements over the last quarter century.
- NCAL’s first bylaws were approved in 2001, and it was officially recognized as the assisted living arm of the American Health Care Association. That same year, Jan Thayer – a renowned leader within NCAL, the Nebraska affiliate, and the entire assisted living profession – was elected as the first Chair of the NCAL Board of Directors.
- NCAL founded National Assisted Living Week® as a special annual opportunity to recognize the role of assisted living in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities. This year’s events will take place September 13-19, 2026, and the theme will be announced in May.
- NCAL and its members are actively involved in advocacy and relationship building at both the state and federal levels. Advocacy empowers the profession and its providers, resulting in a strong, unified voice both in state houses across the country and on Capitol Hill.
- Assisted living was recognized as part of the National Quality Award Program in 2012. In 2018, Maine Veterans Home – Machias in Machias, ME, and Sunrise of Gurnee, a Sunrise Senior Living community in Gurnee, IL, became the first free-standing assisted living communities ever to attain the Gold Quality Award.
- NCAL reached record membership in 2025 with more than 300,000 beds – and continues to grow and adapt to the needs of current and future residents.
- NCAL will host its 20th Annual NCAL Day on Sunday, Oct. 11 at Delivering Solutions 26 in Boston, Massachusetts. More information about the event will be available in the coming months.
Visit
www.ncal.org to learn more about assisted living and the many available resources NCAL offers. NCAL Executive Director LaShuan Bethea also shares a
special message in celebration of this milestone.