Assisted living centers are rare in Mass, but many families still don’t know what they offer or how they differ from other elder care facilities.

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office said that a "miscommunication" led them to previously report that Brenda Cropper, 66, had died, when in fact she is still alive and in critical condition.

Questions and finger-pointing have increased in the days since a fire at a Massachusetts assisted-living facility killed nine and hurt dozens.

More than 75 percent of Gabriel House residents are enrolled in Medicaid, state officials have said, and it charges significantly less than a typical assisted living facility does for private-paying patients.

The fire that claimed nine lives at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, "was destined to kill 50-plus people," according to the local fire chief.