People are living longer than they have before, and with the baby boomers approaching golden years, centers specializing in their care are sprouting up all over the North Shore.

Paul Lanzikos, executive director of North Shore Elder Services, said that in 1990 there were practically no assisted living centers in Massachusetts. Today, there are more than 150, 15 of them on the North Shore, and there is another one scheduled to open this summer in Danvers.

Why the spike in assisted living centers?

"In general people are living longer and want opportunities outside of nursing homes," Lanzikos said.

Assisted living centers are not nursing homes.

"Assisted living centers provide a more independent lifestyle closer to living alone," Lanzikos explained.

Folks who live there do not have serious ailments that require careful care and attention. They may only need help getting dressed, getting to the bathroom or cooking meals.

Lanzikos said the newest trend in assisted living is promoting independent living for elders with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Lanzikos said entire centers or certain sections of bigger places provide a familiar environment by decorating the area with images and styles of past decades.

"Some of these people can remember 20 years ago but cannot remember what happened yesterday," Lanzikos said.

Precautions are taken to make sure patients don't endanger themselves, Lanzikos said.

With all the centers in the area, seniors looking for assisted living have many options. Finding a proper assisted living facility is a lot like high school grads hunting for a college.

Folks can pick a big center or a small one; one that has formal dinners or one where they don't need to dress up. They can even live in a center that has a barbershop or hair salon.

Lanzikos said the most important thing to look for when choosing a center for yourself or a loved one is the future. He said you want to make sure the center is able to adapt to the changes in care that come with age.

Different centers have different strengths, and Lanzikos suggests looking at consumer reports — available on the state's Web site — visiting centers and asking lots of questions.