Description of Business

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Description of Business [Abstract]

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

Ventas, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us” or “our”) is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a geographically diverse portfolio of seniors housing and healthcare properties in the United States and Canada. As of June 30, 2011, our portfolio consisted of 719 properties: 357 seniors housing communities, 187 skilled nursing facilities, 40 hospitals and 135 medical office buildings (“MOBs”) and other properties in 43 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. We are a constituent member of the S&P 500^® index, a leading indicator of the large cap U.S. equities market, with our headquarters located in Chicago, Illinois.

Our primary business consists of acquiring, financing and owning seniors housing and healthcare properties and leasing those properties to third parties or operating those properties through independent third party managers. Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary, we also provide management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make real estate loan and other investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare companies or properties.

As of June 30, 2011, we leased 393 of our properties to healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases, which require the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, and we engaged independent third parties, such as Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”) and Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”), to manage 199 of our seniors housing communities pursuant to long-term management agreements.