Leslie A. Morgan, PhD, codirector of the Gerontology Doctoral Program, and professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).Ann Christine Frankowski, Ph.D.,a cultural anthropologist, is Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UMBC, conducting ethnography at its Center for Aging Studies.Erin G. Roth, M.A. is a Senior Research Analyst and ethnographer with the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC.Lynn Keimig, MHA, Ph.D. candidate, has worked as Project Coordinator on two studies related to assisted living and currently is part of the research team for two studies, focusing on social stigma in seniors housing and generativity in later life, in the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC.Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor and Director of Aging Research, School of Social Work; and Co-Director, Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.J. Kevin Eckert, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at UMBC.

• PrefaceAcknowledgments1. Quality in Assisted Living: Hearing Residents’ Voices2. The Everyday Experience of Quality in a “Soft Institution”3. A Culture of Caring4. Hidden Complexity: Food and Dining in Assisted Living5. Autonomy in Assisted Living6. External Constraints: Regulations, Rules, and Financial Realities7. Broadening Our Perspectives on Quality: Change Over Time in the Quality Balance8. Moving Toward Quality Balance: Lessons Learned From Resi-dentsAppendix: Research Methods Used for the StudyIndex

Leslie A. Morgan, PhD, codirector of the Gerontology Doctoral Program, and professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).Ann Christine Frankowski, Ph.D.,a cultural anthropologist, is Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UMBC, conducting ethnography at its Center for Aging Studies.Erin G. Roth, M.A. is a Senior Research Analyst and ethnographer with the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC.Lynn Keimig, MHA, Ph.D. candidate, has worked as Project Coordinator on two studies related to assisted living and currently is part of the research team for two studies, focusing on social stigma in seniors housing and generativity in later life, in the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC.Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor and Director of Aging Research, School of Social Work; and Co-Director, Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.J. Kevin Eckert, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at UMBC.

• PrefaceAcknowledgments1. Quality in Assisted Living: Hearing Residents’ Voices2. The Everyday Experience of Quality in a “Soft Institution”3. A Culture of Caring4. Hidden Complexity: Food and Dining in Assisted Living5. Autonomy in Assisted Living6. External Constraints: Regulations, Rules, and Financial Realities7. Broadening Our Perspectives on Quality: Change Over Time in the Quality Balance8. Moving Toward Quality Balance: Lessons Learned From Resi-dentsAppendix: Research Methods Used for the StudyIndex

Leslie A. Morgan, PhD, codirector of the Gerontology Doctoral Program, and professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).Ann Christine Frankowski, Ph.D.,a cultural anthropologist, is Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UMBC, conducting ethnography at its Center for Aging Studies.Erin G. Roth, M.A. is a Senior Research Analyst and ethnographer with the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC.Lynn Keimig, MHA, Ph.D. candidate, has worked as Project Coordinator on two studies related to assisted living and currently is part of the research team for two studies, focusing on social stigma in seniors housing and generativity in later life, in the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC.Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor and Director of Aging Research, School of Social Work; and Co-Director, Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.J. Kevin Eckert, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at UMBC.

• PrefaceAcknowledgments1. Quality in Assisted Living: Hearing Residents’ Voices2. The Everyday Experience of Quality in a “Soft Institution”3. A Culture of Caring4. Hidden Complexity: Food and Dining in Assisted Living5. Autonomy in Assisted Living6. External Constraints: Regulations, Rules, and Financial Realities7. Broadening Our Perspectives on Quality: Change Over Time in the Quality Balance8. Moving Toward Quality Balance: Lessons Learned From Resi-dentsAppendix: Research Methods Used for the StudyIndex