DEBT - Narrative (Details)										12 Months Ended
	Jan. 14, 2016 USD ($) investment_grading_company extension_option	Jun. 10, 2015 USD ($)	Oct. 10, 2014 USD ($)	Sep. 10, 2014 USD ($)	Feb. 11, 2014 USD ($)	Jan. 23, 2014 USD ($) Campus	Jan. 08, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 24, 2013 USD ($)	May. 23, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Jan. 14, 2016 CAD investment_grading_company extension_option	Nov. 30, 2015 USD ($) loan	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) Facilitiy	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($) loan	Jun. 30, 2015 CAD loan	Jun. 11, 2015 CAD loan	Jun. 10, 2015 CAD	Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($) loan	Feb. 28, 2015	Jul. 26, 2012 USD ($)	Oct. 27, 2010 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Payments made to noteholders for early redemption										$ 0	$ 22,454,000	$ 10,101,000
Debt, aggregate principal amount										1,397,740,000
Revolving credit facility, amount outstanding										255,000,000	68,000,000
Interest expense										59,218,000	46,958,000	40,460,000
Deferred financing costs amortization										5,143,000	4,045,000	$ 3,280,000
Accrued interest										13,300,000	13,200,000
Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of investment grading companies | investment_grading_company	2												2
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense										2,600,000
Unused facility fees										1,200,000
5.5% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt amount						$ 350,000,000
Interest rate						5.50%
Gross proceeds from debt						$ 350,000,000
Net proceeds from debt						340,800,000
Repayments of lines of credit						$ 4,500,000
5.5% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 [Member] | Debt Instrument, Redemption, Period One [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, redemption premium						100.00%
Debt, redeem up to, percent						35.00%
Debt, redemption premium using proceeds of specific kinds of equity offerings						105.50%
5.5% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 [Member] | Senior Housing Campuses [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of acquired properties | Campus						6
Additional Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt amount			$ 150,000,000
Net proceeds from debt			$ 145,600,000
Debt, issued price, percent			99.50%
Debt, yield-to-maturity			5.593%
5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt amount									$ 200,000,000
Interest rate									5.375%
Gross proceeds from debt									$ 200,000,000
Net proceeds from debt									$ 194,600,000
5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2023 [Member] | Prior to June 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, redemption premium									100.00%
5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2023 [Member] | Prior to June 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, redeem up to, percent									35.00%
Debt, redemption premium using proceeds of specific kinds of equity offerings									105.375%
8.125% Senior Notes due 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt amount																						$ 100,000,000	$ 225,000,000
Interest rate																						8.125%	8.125%
Debt, redemption premium					109.485%		109.837%	108.125%
Debt, redeem up to, percent								35.00%
Amount of aggregate principal amount redeemed								$ 113,800,000
Payments made to noteholders for early redemption								9,800,000			20,900,000
Payments for early redemption								9,300,000
Write-offs associated with unamortized deferred financing and premium costs								$ 500,000			800,000
Debt, aggregate principal amount							$ 211,300,000
Amount retired					$ 400,000		$ 210,900,000
Tender offer and redemption related costs and write-offs											$ 21,700,000
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity (up to)				$ 650,000,000.0
Accordion feature, additional capacity				$ 100,000,000.0
Term loan			$ 200,000,000.0
Interest rate cap contract term			5 years
Revolving credit facility, amount outstanding										255,000,000
Available borrowing capacity										$ 195,000,000
Interest rate										3.03%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annum percent unused borrowing fee										0.25%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annum percent unused borrowing fee										0.35%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate			2.00%	1.00%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate				2.00%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate				2.60%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Federal Funds Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate				0.50%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate				1.00%
Prior Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate				1.60%
Prior Canadian Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate swap, fixed		1.59%																	1.59%
Prior Canadian Term Loan [Member] | Sabra Canadian Holdings, LLC [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt amount		$ 73,200,000																	CAD 90,000,000.0
Prior Canadian Term Loan [Member] | CDOR [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Sabra Canadian Holdings, LLC [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate		2.00%
Prior Canadian Term Loan [Member] | CDOR [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Sabra Canadian Holdings, LLC [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate		2.60%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity (up to)	$ 500,000,000.0
Borrowing capacity in certain foreign currencies (up to)	$ 125,000,000.0
Number of optional extensions | extension_option	2												2
Optional extension period	6 months
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annum percent unused borrowing fee	0.25%
Facility fee, contingent event	0.125%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annum percent unused borrowing fee	0.30%
Facility fee, contingent event	0.30%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.80%
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	0.90%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.40%
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	1.70%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Federal Funds Rate [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	0.50%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	0.80%
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	0.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.40%
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	0.70%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR or CDOR [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	1.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR or CDOR [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	1.95%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt amount	$ 245,000,000.0
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.75%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.35%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	0.75%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.35%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | CDOR [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.75%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | CDOR [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.35%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	0.00%
U.S. Dollar Term Loan [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate, contingent event	0.95%
Canadian Term Loan [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt amount | CAD													CAD 125,000,000.0
Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Accordion feature, additional capacity	$ 1,250,000,000.00
Mortgages [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of properties | Facilitiy															3
Debt amount															$ 28,700,000					$ 59,200,000
Interest rate															3.64%
Number of mortgage loans | loan																				6
Weighted average interest rate																				3.98%	4.39%
Debt, aggregate principal amount										$ 177,850,000
Mortgages [Member] | Canadian Portfolio [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate																3.74%	3.74%
Number of mortgage loans | loan																3	3	3
Outstanding principal amounts																$ 19,700,000	CAD 24,200,000	CAD 24,200,000
Mortgages [Member] | NMS Portfolio [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate														5.60%
Number of mortgage loans | loan														1
Outstanding principal amounts														$ 10,800,000