Abstract: Issues related to old age and to providing help for the elderly, due to their social significance, constitute a widely discussed question, analyzed within various scientific disciplines. While traditionally such care was provided in the family, in modern societies it is also provided by institutions. This study addresses the issue of familiarization and deinstitutionalization in the context of caring for an elderly person in the place of residence in sociological and legal terms. The focus has been on depicting assisted housing, respite care, and coordination and standardization of social services.