EXHIBIT 10.18 FORM OF STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

EXHIBIT 10.18

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

      THIS STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”), made this                      day of                                          , 20___ between Health Care REIT, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), and                                                              (the “Participant”).

WITNESSETH:

      WHEREAS , the Participant is an employee and executive officer of the Corporation; and

      WHEREAS , the Corporation adopted the Health Care REIT, Inc. 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) in order to provide non-employee directors and select officers and key employees with incentives to achieve long-term corporate objectives; and

      WHEREAS , the Compensation Committee of the Corporation’s Board of Directors decided that the Participant should be granted stock options to purchase shares of the Corporation’s common stock, $1.00 par value per share (“Common Stock”), on the terms and conditions set forth below, and in accordance with the terms of the Plan.

      NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants and agreements herein contained and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:

     1.  Grant of Options .

          Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Corporation hereby grants to the Participant the right and option to purchase up to a total of                                          (                      ) shares of the Common Stock of the Corporation, at the option price of $                      per share (the “Options”).

          The Options shall consist of options to purchase                       shares of Common Stock intended to qualify as incentive stock options (“ISOs”) within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and options to purchase                       shares of Common Stock not intended to qualify as ISOs (“Nonstatutory Options”).

     2.  Period of Exercise .

          The Options shall become exercisable by the Participant in five installments. Subject to the accelerated vesting provided for in Sections 9, 10, 11 and 12 below, at any time during the term of the Options, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock the Participant may purchase by exercising Nonstatutory Options, and the maximum number which the Participant may purchase by exercising ISOs, shall be limited as specified in the following schedule:

          If, during any of these periods, the Participant fails to exercise the Options with respect to all or any portion of the shares that may be acquired at such time, the Participant shall be entitled to exercise the Options with respect to the remaining portion of such shares at any subsequent time prior to the termination date of the Options.

          The Options intended to be ISOs are subject to the $100,000 annual limit on vesting of ISOs as set forth in Section 422(d) of the Code. To the extent the aggregate fair market value (determined at the date of grant) of the shares of Common Stock with respect to which those ISOs first become exercisable by the Participant during any calendar year under this Section 2 (when aggregated with any prior ISOs granted to the Participant under stock option plans of the Corporation) exceeds $100,000, whether by reason of accelerated vesting under Sections 9, 10, 11 or 12 or otherwise, the Options shall consist of ISOs for the maximum number of shares that may be covered by ISOs without violating Section 422(d) of the Code, and the remaining Options becoming exercisable in that year shall be treated as Nonstatutory Options.

     3.  Termination Date of Options .

          The Options granted herein, and the related Dividend Equivalent Rights under Section 8 below, shall terminate on                                          , 20___, the tenth anniversary of the date of grant, and the Participant shall have no right to exercise the Options at any time thereafter.

     4.  Manner of Exercise .

          If the Participant elects to exercise the Options to purchase shares of Common Stock, the Participant shall give written notice of such exercise to the Corporate Secretary of the Corporation. The notice of exercise shall state the number of shares of Common Stock as to which the Options are being exercised, and the Corporation shall determine whether the Options exercised are ISOs or Nonstatutory Options.

          The Participant may exercise the Options to purchase all, or any lesser whole number, of the number of shares of Common Stock that the Participant is then permitted to purchase under Section 2.

     5.  Payment for Shares .

          Full payment of the option price for the shares of Common Stock purchased by exercising the Options shall be due at the time the notice of exercise is delivered pursuant to Section 4. Such payment may be made (i) in cash, (ii) by delivery of shares of Common Stock currently owned by the Participant with a fair market value equal to the option price, or (iii) in any other form acceptable to the Corporation.

          Alternatively, the Participant shall be deemed to have paid the full option price due upon exercise of the Options, if the Participant’s notice of exercise is accompanied by an irrevocable instruction to the Corporation to deliver the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Options (less any shares withheld to satisfy the Participant’s tax obligations pursuant to Section 7 below) promptly to a broker-dealer designated by Participant, together with an irrevocable instruction to such broker-dealer to sell at least that portion of the shares necessary to pay the option price (and any tax withholding related expenses specified by the parties), and that portion of the sale proceeds needed to pay the option price is delivered directly to the Corporation no later than the close of business on the settlement date.

     6.  Issuance of Stock Certificates for Shares .

          The stock certificates for any shares of Common Stock issuable to the Participant upon exercise of the Options shall be delivered to the Participant (or to the person to whom the rights of the Participant shall have passed by will or the laws of descent and distribution) as promptly after the date of exercise as is feasible, but not before the Participant has paid the option price for such shares and made any arrangements for tax withholding, as required by Section 7.

     7.  Tax Withholding .

          Whenever the Participant exercises Options, the Corporation shall notify the Participant of the amount of tax (if any) that must be withheld by the Corporation under all applicable federal, state and local tax laws. With respect to each exercise of the Options, the Participant agrees to make arrangements with the Corporation to (a) remit the required amount to the Corporation in cash, (b) authorize the Corporation to withhold a portion of the shares of

Common Stock otherwise issuable upon the exercise with a value equal to the required amount, (c) deliver to the Corporation shares of Common Stock with a value equal to the required amount, (d) authorize the deduction of the required amount from the Participant’s compensation, or (e) otherwise provide for payment of the required amount in any other manner satisfactory to the Corporation.

     8.  Dividend Equivalent Rights .

          The Parti