Assisted Living is licensed by the state they are in and are subject to the rules and codes the state requires. They are subject to visits from the state and they are reviewed annually and fined if they don't follow the rules.

Many Independent Living communities have had very independent seniors move in and then "age in place." Instead of forcing the seniors to move to assisted living or nursing homes, many have brought in services.  These services are very similar to assisted living. The services are usually provided by a legitimate home care agency that has partnered with the community. Also, many of the services are offered a la carte which makes it more affordable than moving into assisted living where the care is included in the monthly fee.

Remember - there is not the same amount of regulation, and they may not have as many hours of coverage or the training that is provided in assisted living. That does not mean its a bad choice, it just means you really can't compare apples to oranges.