NEWS  RELEASE
FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE     Contact:  Raymond  Brandstrom
October  1,  2002     Chief  Financial  Officer
                                    (206) 298-2909

                   EMERITUS ANNOUNCES 24 COMMUNITY ACQUISITION

SEATTLE,  WA, OCTOBER 1, 2002 -- Emeritus Assisted Living (AMEX:  ESC - Emeritus
Corporation),  a  national  provider  of assisted living and related services to
senior citizens, today announced the acquisition of twenty-four communities with
1,651  units  in  six  states.

The  properties,  which  had  previously been operated by Marriott Senior Living
Services,  a  subsidiary  of  Marriott  International (NYSE: MAR), were acquired
through a transaction in which a private investment joint venture led by Fremont
Realty  Capital,  a San Francisco based fund, acquired the properties and leased
the properties to Emeritus.  The lease is for an initial 10-year period with two
5-year  extensions  and  includes  an opportunity for the Company to acquire the
properties  after  the  third year and the right under certain circumstances for
the landlord to cancel the lease by payment of a termination fee after the fifth
year.

"This  acquisition  should  have  an immediate positive benefit to the Company,"
stated  Ray  Brandstrom,  CFO.  "This  is the largest single acquisition we have
completed,  which  is  facilitated by our improved operating performance.  It is
gratifying  to  see  all  the  participants  in  this deal supporting us in this
transaction."

Since  January  1,  2002  the  Company  has  increased the number of communities
managed by 47, representing an increase in total capacity of approximately 5,000
residents  or  35  percent.  The  24  communities  in  this  acquisition are all
purpose-built  assisted  living  communities in which the Company plans to offer
both  assisted  and  memory  loss  services.

Fremont  Realty  Capital  is  a part of the Fremont Group, a San Francisco based
private  investment  company  with approximately $11 billion in assets under its
management.  An investor group led by Dan Baty, CEO of Emeritus will participate
as  a  minority  interest  in  the  property  joint  venture.

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 with 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 180 communities
representing capacity for approximately 19,000 residents in 33 states and Japan.
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 press release
that  are  not  historical  or  current  facts  deal  with  the 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 Emeritus'
actual  future  experience  as  a  result  of  such  factors  as: the effects of
competition  and  economic  conditions  on  the  occupancy  levels  in Emeritus'
communities;  Emeritus'  ability under current market conditions to maintain and
increase  its  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; ability of Emeritus to
control  community  operation  expenses,  including insurance and utility costs,
without  adversely  affecting  the  level of occupancy and the level of resident
charges; the ability of Emeritus to generate cash flow sufficient to service its
debt and other fixed payment requirements; Emeritus'  ability to find sources of
financing and capital on satisfactory terms to meet its cash requirements to the
extent that they are not met by operations; and making satisfactory arrangements
for  the continued operation of the Emeritrust communities beyond June 30, 2003,
when  our  management  agreements  for  those  communities expires. Emeritus has
attempted  to  identify,  in context, certain of the factors that they currently
believe may cause actual future experience and results to differ from Emeritus's
current  expectations  regarding the relevant matter or subject area.  These and
other  risks  and uncertainties are detailed in the Company's reports filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Emeritus' Annual Reports
on  Form  10-K  and  Quarterly  Reports  on  Form  10-Q.