NEWS  RELEASE
FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE                      Contact:  Raymond  Brandstrom
April  23,  2004                                       Chief  Financial  Officer
                                                       (206) 298-2909

                   EMERITUS ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS

SEATTLE,  WA,  APRIL  23, 2004 -- Emeritus Assisted Living (AMEX: ESC) (Emeritus
Corporation),  a  national  provider  of assisted living and related services to
senior  citizens,  announced  today  that  the  Company  has  appointed  two new
directors  to  serve  on  the  Company's  Board  of  Directors.

Bruce  L.  Busby served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Hillhaven
Corporation, a Tacoma, Washington based skilled nursing company that merged with
Vencor,  Inc.  in  1995.  Hillhaven  operated  360 facilities throughout the US.
Before joining Hillhaven, Mr. Busby served National Medical Enterprises, Inc. as
Chief  Executive  Officer  and  President  of the Venture Development Group from
April  1988 to March 1991, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Long Term
Care  Group from August 1986 to March 1988, and President of the Retail Services
Group  from  June  1986  to  November  1987.

T.  Michael Young is President and Chief Executive Officer of Metal Supermarkets
International,  a  privately  held  concern  with  operations  in North America,
Europe,  and  the  Middle  East.  Previously Young, who has a CPA, was Chairman,
President  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  Hi-Lo  Automotive, Inc., a public
retailer and wholesale distributor of auto parts and supplies.  Young also was a
partner  at  Arthur  Anderson  from  1976  to  1980.

Both  Busby  and  Young  qualify as independent directors under new SEC and AMEX
rules for audit committees and will serve on the Company's Audit Committee along
with  an  existing  qualifying  director.

ABOUT  THE  COMPANY
Emeritus  Assisted  Living is a national provider of assisted living and related
services to seniors.  Emeritus is one of the largest developers and operators of
freestanding  assisted  living  communities throughout the United States.  These
communities  provide  a  residential housing alternative for senior citizens who
need  help  with the activities of daily living.  Emeritus places an emphasis on
assistance  with personal care services to provide residents with an opportunity
for  support  in  the  aging process.  Emeritus currently holds interests in 182
communities  representing  capacity  for  approximately  18,500  residents in 34
states.  Emeritus's  common stock is traded on the American Stock Exchange under
the  symbol  ESC,  and  its  home  page  can  be  found  on  the  Internet  at
www.emeritus.com.

"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 rate enhancement programs without adversely affecting occupancy
levels;  increases  in  interest  rates that would increase costs as a result of
variable  rate  debt;  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 operations; and our
continued  management  of  the  Emeritrust I communities beyond January 2, 2004,
when  our  management  agreements  for  those communities could be terminated on
short-term  notice.  While  we believe that these arrangements will be extended,
we  cannot  guarantee  that  these  discussions  will  be  successful or, if the
arrangements  are  extended, what the terms will be.  If we are unsuccessful, we
could lose the management fee revenue from these communities.  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  (SEC),  including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and
Quarterly  Reports  on  Form  10-Q.