Emeritus Senior Living Provides Holiday Tips to Alzheimer’s Caregivers - Press Releases

The holidays are a time for families to gather and celebrate generations coming together to enjoy each other’s company. Though for those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia, this time of year can bring increased anxiety as they strive to create a calm holiday environment while keeping family traditions alive. For that reason, Emeritus Senior Living, a national provider of assisted living and Alzheimer's and related dementia care services to seniors, has put together helpful guidelines and suggestions to make this holiday season a memorable one for the whole family.

“The holidays are an important time of year for families to come together, and keeping our loved ones who are suffering from Alzheimer’s involved in family traditions continues to be critically important,” commented Crystal Roberts, Director of Memory Care for Emeritus Senior Living. “By incorporating our loved ones in their favorite activities and by taking steps to prepare both the senior and other family members for celebratory events, families can create new memories while fostering a connection with seniors on a deeper level.”

Emeritus Senior Living encourages Caregivers to take the following steps in order to prepare the person who is living with Alzheimer’s:

• Talk about and show pictures of the people who are coming to visit.
• Play familiar holiday music and serve favorite traditional holiday foods.
• Have loved one watch or help with decorations.
• People with Alzheimer's may recognize faces of family members and friends but may be unable to recall names. Name tags are helpful.
• Have a "quiet" room for if things get too hectic, and have a familiar person stay with them so they don't feel isolated or left out.
• Prepare for distractions beforehand to divert attention if problem behavior occurs.
• Incorporate favorite traditions from the past. If the activity is first introduced and there is no interest, try again later.
• Slow the pace of the activities to allow the person with Alzheimer's to comprehend as well as enjoy the sensory pleasure from the activity.

Caregivers are also encouraged to:

• Plan ahead.
• Take a break regularly; try some extra day care or in-home care.
• Cut out the unnecessary - don't be afraid to say no!
• Ask for and accept help from family and friends.
• Set limits as to what you are able to do and make sure the family understands your needs and wishes.
• Create a clear pathway for walking; avoid wires, cords, and throw rugs.
• Use ribbon or yarn instead of sharp hooks to hang ornaments and decorations.
• Serve non-alcoholic beer, wine, or sparkling cider.
• Avoid decorating with items that look edible.
• Use plastic or silk mistletoe rather than real - it's toxic if eaten.
• Avoid confusing, blinking lights.
• Do not leave lighted candles or fireplaces unattended.

Additional tips for preparing those who will be visiting a loved one with Alzheimer’s this holiday season are available on the Emeritus website at

http://www.emeritus.com/resources/memorycare/during_the_holidays/

About Emeritus Senior Living

Emeritus Corporation is a national provider of assisted living and Alzheimer's and related dementia care services to seniors. Emeritus is one of the largest and most experienced operators of freestanding assisted living communities located throughout the United States. These communities provide a residential housing alternative for senior citizens who need assistance with the activities of daily living, with an emphasis on personal care services, which provides support to the residents in the aging process. Emeritus currently operates 309 communities in 36 states representing capacity for approximately 27,200 units and approximately 32,400 residents. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ESC, and our home page can be found on the Internet at www.emeritus.com.

Forward Looking Statements

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: A number of the matters and subject areas discussed in this report that are not historical or current facts deal with potential future circumstances, operations, and prospects. The discussion of such matters and subject areas is qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, and also may materially differ from our actual future experience as a result of such factors as: the effects of competition and economic conditions on the occupancy levels in our communities; our ability under current market conditions to maintain and increase our resident charges in accordance with our rate enhancement programs without adversely affecting occupancy levels; increases in interest costs as a result of re-financings; our ability to control community operation expenses, including insurance and utility costs, without adversely affecting the level of occupancy and the level of resident charges; our ability to generate cash flow sufficient to service our debt and other fixed payment requirements; our ability to find sources of financing and capital on satisfactory terms to meet our cash requirements to the extent that they are not met by operation; and uncertainties related to professional liability claims. We have attempted to identify, in context, certain of the factors that we currently believe may cause actual future experience and results to differ from our current expectations regarding the relevant matter or subject area. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

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