Assisted living centers are rare in Mass, but many families still don’t know what they offer — or what they don’t.

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office said that a "miscommunication" led them to previously report that Brenda Cropper, 66, had died, when in fact she is still alive and in critical condition.

All 273 assisted living facilities in Massachusetts must send letters to all residents and families detailing fire safety protocols, evacuation procedures and key points of contact, the state announced Friday.

More than 75 percent of Gabriel House residents are enrolled in Medicaid, state officials have said, and it charges significantly less than a typical assisted living facility does for private-paying patients.

The fire that claimed nine lives at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, "was destined to kill 50-plus people," according to the local fire chief.