More than 50,000 extended care organizations— made up of 16,000 certified nursing care and 39,000 assisted living facilities—are witnessing a wave of  change across the U.S. Over the last two decades, a culture change has started to transform the way extended care is managed, delivered, and experienced.

They are everywhere, but they don’t have to hurt you

“You name the disease and stress affects it,” says Tom Morris D.O., Erickson Health physician at Monarch Landing, an Erickson–built and –managed  community in Illinois. Morris is one of many health professionals who acknowledge the mind-body link in stress’s affect on your health.

For years, doctors have suspected that emotions can increase the risk of heart disease, the nation’s number one killer. New studies provide evidence that heart disease and depression are linked.