Continuing Care Retirement Communities

What are Continuing Care Retirement Communities?

Continuing Care Retirement Communities are Retirement Communities that offer assisted living, independent living, and nursing home care in one place. The resources in CCRC establishments allow seniors to move from one level of care to another as they age. If you have not stayed long after retiring and hence, still capable of caring for yourself, a retirement community that offers independent living would be recommendable. However, considering your age, you cannot ignore your susceptibility to health complications that develop as people grow older.With time, you might find a need for the services that come with the assisted living plan. Later on, and especially if you wouldn’t like to bother your children, you could find yourself considering the convenience of nursing home care. A Continuing Care Retirement Community allow seniors to progress from one level of care to another without bothering to move to another retirement community. Real estate experts who specialize in the senior housing niche call the system presented by CCRCs “aging in place.”

Is a Continuing Care Retirement Community ideal for all seniors?

CCRCs has everything that an aging senior needs to continue living decently. Anyone with retirement credentials fits in. Although such establishments are mainly targeted to people who will begin at independent living, they accommodate seniors with conditions that demand assisted living and even those who need the close attention that is given in nursing home care units. If you have a spouse, ask him or her if she is opposed to your relocation plans. Seniors who have already begun needing assistance to get through the day and normally depend on their spouses for daily care can move into an independent living unit for a while before they are overwhelmed by the age factor.

What options are there in a Continuing Care Retirement Community?

Beginning with housing options, seniors who intend to relocate to a CCRC can select from townhouses, apartments, cottages, and duplexes. The choice depends on a senior’s preferences and their budget. For instance, some couples might feel that apartments do not offer the kind of privacy they normally have at their current home. Intuitively, they will want a cottage or a townhouse. People who are restricted to cheaper options by their budgets will most probably want to rent an apartment.

To keep the seniors happily busy, CCRCs have a wide spectrum of recreational amenities. Some of the more common ones include swimming pools, fitness centers, gym, clubhouses and common dining rooms. Most establishments have flexible plans that are designed to suit differing lifestyles. You are only charged for the services you need. For example, if you are going to choose the assisted living plan and do not need assistance while bathing, you will not be charged for it.

What are the benefits of living in a Continuing Care Retirement Community?

First of all, relocating to a CCRC lightens the emotional burden you place on your children and relatives as a senior. They can be reassured that you are going to be safe in your new residence. The living spaces in the retirement community are specially designed for easy maneuverability by seniors. Besides, it’s easy to get medical help when emergency problems arise. By relocating, you let everyone who gets worried about you live with peace of mind.

CCRCs also come in handy when senior losses his or her spouse. Instead of grieving alone which could lead to depression and other related complications, seniors are able to join other people who have similar problems in the retirement community. The best thing is that these will be your age mates and hence, more capable of providing consolation.

Activities are another major highlight. As stated before, CCRCs have fitness centers, swimming pools, and gyms. Although you pay a membership fee to use these amenities, they improve your livelihood. Exercise will have a profound impact on your health and your well-being as a senior. With the support of your counterparts, you will find it easier to do things that you would normally consider difficult if you stayed at home. Apart from exercise, playing board games is a rooted culture in most retirement communities. Research has proven that board games assist in delaying Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia that are common with seniors.

The major reason why seniors prefer living in retirement communities is that of the maintenance hassles that are presented by conventional homes. After retiring, chores like mowing your lawn become challenging. You will often be forced to hire someone to perform these duties. On the contrary, everything is done for you if you choose to reside in a Continuing Care Retirement Community. The staff at these establishments will cater for your meals, perform cleaning duties, do your laundry, and last but not least, see to it that you have a well-mowed lawn.

Easy of transition is another factor that makes CCRCs a viable option. As a senior, you can hope and work for good health, but you can do nothing to eliminate the risk of developing complications in the future. It might not be soon, but if you live long enough, you are eventually going to call for assisted living. Considering your advancement in age, immense breaks could have devastating effects on your emotional stability. In simpler terms, CCRCs offer a smooth transition from independent living to assisted living and later on, from assisted living to nursing home care.

Things to do before relocating to a Continuing Care Retirement Community

Relocating means you are going to put an end to the life you currently lead and begin a new one. Of course, there are a lot of decisions that need to be made. For instance, what are you going to do with your current home? Are you going to sell it or do you prefer renting it? Go through your options carefully while taking the time to define what you want. It’s imperative for your spouse to be involved in the decision-making process.

Finally, tour as many CCRCs as possible before picking your selection. It’s just like buying a new home. You want a firsthand experience before cashing in.