CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING INFORMATION (unaudited) (Details 2) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues:
Rental income	$ 334,614	$ 308,186	$ 983,255	$ 867,828
Resident fees and services	359,112	316,560	1,039,876	905,190
Medical office building and other services revenues	4,146	4,544	11,331	16,791
Income from loans and investments	14,448	9,035	45,284	25,223
Equity earnings in affiliates			0	0
Interest and other income	66	330	1,901	442
Total revenues	712,386	638,655	2,081,647	1,815,474
Expenses:
Interest	84,089	74,037	245,622	214,028
Depreciation and amortization	177,710	188,540	528,180	534,792
Property-level operating expenses	285,112	252,450	822,299	704,939
Medical office building services costs	1,651	1,487	4,957	8,314
General, administrative and professional fees	28,659	26,867	84,760	75,488
(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net	(189)	(1,194)	(909)	38,339
Merger-related expenses and deal costs	6,208	4,917	17,137	49,566
Other	4,353	1,966	13,325	5,052
Total expenses	587,593	549,070	1,715,371	1,630,518
Income before income from unconsolidated entities, income taxes, discontinued operations and noncontrolling interest	124,793	89,585	366,276	184,956
Income from unconsolidated entities	110	17,074	533	17,905
Income tax benefit	2,780	8,886	13,100	2,727
Income from continuing operations	127,683	115,545	379,909	205,588
Discontinued operations	(9,084)	(3,724)	(33,679)	70,061
Net income	118,599	111,821	346,230	275,649	361,775
Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest	303	(61)	1,161	(884)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest	303	(61)	1,161	(884)
Net income attributable to common stockholders	118,296	111,882	345,069	276,533
Ventas, Inc.
Revenues:
Rental income	609	640	1,868	1,898
Resident fees and services			0	0
Medical office building and other services revenues			0	0
Income from loans and investments		951	1,262	2,841
Equity earnings in affiliates	118,136	115,319	339,339	228,099
Interest and other income	19	12	315	97
Total revenues	118,764	116,922	342,784	232,935
Expenses:
Interest	(512)	(1,139)	(1,453)	(3,375)
Depreciation and amortization	1,308	1,057	3,600	2,576
Property-level operating expenses			0	0
Medical office building services costs			0	0
General, administrative and professional fees	437	1,028	1,580	4,839
(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net			0	0
Merger-related expenses and deal costs	2,038	12,552	9,013	42,605
Other	23	(5)	316	(4)
Total expenses	3,294	13,493	13,056	46,641
Income before income from unconsolidated entities, income taxes, discontinued operations and noncontrolling interest	115,470	103,429	329,728	186,294
Income from unconsolidated entities			0	0
Income tax benefit	2,780	8,886	13,100	2,727
Income from continuing operations	118,250	112,315	342,828	189,021
Discontinued operations	46	(433)	2,241	87,512
Net income	118,296	111,882	345,069	276,533
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest			0	0
Net income attributable to common stockholders	118,296	111,882	345,069	276,533
Ventas Realty [Member] [Member]
Revenues:
Rental income	69,894	69,262	209,933	205,601
Resident fees and services			0	0
Medical office building and other services revenues			0	0
Income from loans and investments	90	301	877	1,330
Equity earnings in affiliates			0	0
Interest and other income	10	10	21	20
Total revenues	69,994	69,573	210,831	206,951
Expenses:
Interest	36,703	23,295	105,180	68,227
Depreciation and amortization	7,912	7,484	23,068	28,242
Property-level operating expenses	153	128	396	369
Medical office building services costs			0	0
General, administrative and professional fees	5,375	8,092	16,161	22,204
(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net		17	0	39,737
Merger-related expenses and deal costs			0	0
Other	17		38	0
Total expenses	50,160	39,016	144,843	158,779
Income before income from unconsolidated entities, income taxes, discontinued operations and noncontrolling interest	19,834	30,557	65,988	48,172
Income from unconsolidated entities	272	429	776	1,260
Income tax benefit			0	0
Income from continuing operations	20,106	30,986	66,764	49,432
Discontinued operations	80	857	702	4,300
Net income	20,186	31,843	67,466	53,732
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest			0	0
Net income attributable to common stockholders	20,186	31,843	67,466	53,732
Ventas Subsidiaries
Revenues:
Rental income	264,111	238,284	771,454	660,329
Resident fees and services	359,112	316,560	1,039,876	905,190
Medical office building and other services revenues	4,146	4,544	11,331	16,791
Income from loans and investments	14,358	7,783	43,145	21,052
Equity earnings in affiliates	202	318	675	537
Interest and other income	37	308	1,565	325
Total revenues	641,966	567,797	1,868,046	1,604,224
Expenses:
Interest	47,898	51,881	141,895	149,176
Depreciation and amortization	168,490	179,999	501,512	503,974
Property-level operating expenses	284,959	252,322	821,903	704,570
Medical office building services costs	1,651	1,487	4,957	8,314
General, administrative and professional fees	22,847	17,747	67,019	48,445
(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net	(189)	(1,211)	(909)	(1,398)
Merger-related expenses and deal costs	4,170	(7,635)	8,124	6,961
Other	4,313	1,971	12,971	5,056
Total expenses	534,139	496,561	1,557,472	1,425,098
Income before income from unconsolidated entities, income taxes, discontinued operations and noncontrolling interest	107,827	71,236	310,574	179,126
Income from unconsolidated entities	(162)	16,645	(243)	16,645
Income tax benefit			0	0
Income from continuing operations	107,665	87,881	310,331	195,771
Discontinued operations	(9,210)	(4,148)	(36,622)	(21,751)
Net income	98,455	83,733	273,709	174,020
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest	(303)	61	1,161	(884)
Net income attributable to common stockholders	98,152	83,794	272,548	174,904
Consolidated Eliminations
Revenues:
Rental income			0	0
Resident fees and services			0	0
Medical office building and other services revenues			0	0
Income from loans and investments			0	0
Equity earnings in affiliates	(118,338)	(115,637)	(340,014)	(228,636)
Interest and other income			0	0
Total revenues	(118,338)	(115,637)	(340,014)	(228,636)
Expenses:
Interest			0	0
Depreciation and amortization			0	0
Property-level operating expenses			0	0
Medical office building services costs			0	0
General, administrative and professional fees			0	0
(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net			0	0
Merger-related expenses and deal costs			0	0
Other			0	0
Total expenses			0	0
Income before income from unconsolidated entities, income taxes, discontinued operations and noncontrolling interest	(118,338)	(115,637)	(340,014)	(228,636)
Income from unconsolidated entities			0	0
Income tax benefit			0	0
Income from continuing operations	(118,338)	(115,637)	(340,014)	(228,636)
Discontinued operations			0	0
Net income	(118,338)	(115,637)	(340,014)	(228,636)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest			0	0
Net income attributable to common stockholders	(118,338)	(115,637)	(340,014)	(228,636)
All Other
Revenues:
Medical office building and other services revenues	500		763
Income from loans and investments	14,448	9,035	45,284	25,223
Interest and other income	66	330	1,901	442
Total revenues	15,014	9,365	47,948	25,665
Expenses:
Income from unconsolidated entities	$ (132)		$ (323)