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LATE LAST OCTOBER, I was one of the first to move into the new building at my chosen continuing care retirement community, or CCRC. Now, more than five months later, I’m more confident than ever that I made a good decision.
I’m in my mid-70s, single and childless, with relatives 3,000 miles distant in both directions. Both bathrooms at my old home were up 15 stairs. Aging in place was not a good option.
Now, I have a large apartment, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a den and a balcony. There’s plenty of daylight, including in the kitchen, which has full-size appliances and a huge island. The washer and dryer, also huge, have their own closet. My study—with its six bookcases and a big desk—occupies the second bedroom. The setup of both the study and the main bedroom are effectively unchanged from my house. The apartment is cleaned weekly—I’m planning to switch to every other week—and the guy who answers my maintenance requests is great.
There’s no shortage of advice on “aging well,” which generally includes recommendations to exercise, eat a healthy diet and stay socially engaged. Since I moved in, I’ve been using the weight machines and the treadmill in the well-equipped gym, and I’m starting tai chi. In the week ahead, for those of us in independent living, there’s a choice of more than 40 exercise classes, including aqua exercise, barre and cardio strength—and that doesn’t count table tennis and pickleball games.
Right now, I’m staying with my primary care physician, rather than switching to the onsite clinic, but I’m getting my vaccinations there. I could attend a webinar on tinnitus next week or one on diet later in the month. And I’ve already seen the continuing care concept at work: A couple of residents injured themselves during move-in. After time in hospital, they stayed in the CCRC’s skilled nursing facility, before being cleared to move into their apartments.
There’s a lot going on, including charitable activity for both onsite and offsite recipients. Residents run the gift shop and a semi-annual yard sale to raise money for the residents’ association. This funds the budgets for 15 main committees and a number of sub-committees, including the library, which is run by residents and led by a former professional librarian. A professional director for the choir and a trainer for the dance team are also paid out of these funds. A residents’ council with elected representatives from the various floors and cottage groupings oversees the association’s budget and acts as the liaison with management.
There are separate fund-raising drives for the foundation that supports residents who run out of money and for employee appreciation. (There’s no tipping.) Then there’s an annual event for Rise Against Hunger, and ongoing projects for homeless veterans and a local charity shop. Plenty of social events, too. I volunteer in the gift shop and the library, and put puzzles together for the charity shop. I’ve been on lunch outings, socialized at “meet and greets,” attended committee meetings, classes and onsite entertainment, and made new friends.
I’ve seen complaints on HumbleDollar about living with a bunch of old people. Of course, there are very old people here—residents seem to live a long time. There are also a lot of less old people, especially in the new building where I live. Some people are still working, while others are active volunteers offsite. You need to be at least age 62 to move in, but your spouse could be as young as 55.
Food is a perennial topic of conversation, and its quality varies. There’s some excellent but expensive food—paid in dining points—which I indulge in only once or twice a month. The two bars offer very good bar snacks that don’t quite make a meal. A sit-down restaurant with table service usually has good food, but occasionally misses. Other options are a not-bad cafe and a food-court-style eatery that I find short on healthy options. Still, the dining director does listen to residents and some better choices are showing up. For instance, all locations recently switched from white to brown rice.
Between making new friends and volunteering, I’ve been staying very busy—so busy, in fact, that I’m blocking off Sunday as “introvert recharge day.” A friend who’s considering his next move is concerned that a CCRC is no place for an introvert. But if you want to eat all your meals in your apartment, and only venture out to pick up your food and your mail, you could. Still, given the advice to maintain social connections as we age, that doesn’t seem like a particularly good idea.
It’s a bit early for me to be sure how the financial side will work out. My move wasn’t cheap—I’d used the same senior movers before—and I had some distinctly expensive periodontal work done in December and January. I’ll know more when I see the effect of the change on my tax situation. Part of my monthly fee is deductible as a pre-paid medical expense, as was part of my entry fee.
Existing residents are extremely welcoming and seem happy. I still believe, as I and others have posted here before, that a move to a CCRC is the best gift you can give your kids. If you’re childless, it’s the best gift you can give to yourself. But research is critical. Avoid for-profit CCRCs, make sure the facility will keep you if you run out of money, check the financials and be sure to visit in person.
Kathy Wilhelm, who comments on HumbleDollar as mytimetotravel, is a former software engineer. She took early retirement so she could travel extensively. Some of Kathy’s trips are chronicled on her blog. Born and educated in England, she has lived in North Carolina since 1975. Check out Kathy’s previous articles.
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Thanks for the good article Kathy. And thanks to Michael for posting the Newsweek listing which brought to my attention a CCRC I didn’t know about. My husband and I have been actively looking into CCRCs in recent years and have made several refundable deposits. One major issue that we recently encountered is the dining plan offered by Morrison Living. We’re foodies and can’t tolerate such disappointing food. Morrison Living provides the food at many of the CCRCs around the country. We can understand the appeal for the administrators: Morrison provides the chef, the food, the recipes and the entire wait staff and must really reduce headaches surrounding food issues and complaints by residents. The administration can just refer any issues back to Morrison Living. In addition to directly inquiring about their supplier, you can determine which CCRCs use Morrison Living by googling the CCRC name and Morrison- ads for dining staff or linked-in profiles quickly appear.
Mine switched to Morrisons pre-Covid. As I wrote, some of the food is very good, made with local ingredients. Some not so good, although it’s all edible. Depends on which location you’re eating in. I checked, and only four people work for Morrisons – the Dining Director, the Executive Chef and two others.
Is the food service provided by Morrison Living not good?
The quality of ingredients and the taste seem very mediocre to us. Any CCRC with a Morrison Living contract is now removed from our consideration since we’ve tried it about 5X in a variety of CCRCs around the country. We also worry that we might move into a CCRC with decent food and they switch to Morrison Living down the road.
Interesting — thanks for responding.
Even at a nonprofit CCRC with a high ranking.
All good, Kathy, and congratulations!
From personal experience with my mom, the buy-in and regular monthly payments to the CCRC only cover a relatively modest level of care, even if you are moved to assisted living or full-on nursing home care. For example, should you need an aide with you for hours a day, that is an additional out of pocket expense at a high hourly rate. It is not rare for that to amount to as much $2500/week…or even more. Unsurprisingly, this fact is generally obscured in the CCRC’s marketing literature, even at quality places.
I checked. Of course, as parkslope says, it depends on the specific CCRC and the type of contract. Mine is Type B – modified, and you are correct, if one-on-one care is required over and above the normal skilled nursing case load, it would be extra. However, your cost seems high. Apparently the average cost for a home health aide in my area is $27.58/hour.
This lead me to wonder about the situation in non-CCRC nursing homes. There have been some pretty grim stories about inadequate care and supervision.
This wasn’t the case at the LifeCare CCRC that my mother lived in for the last 15 years of her life. Her monthly costs were essentially unchanged when she moved from independent living to assisted living which reflected the fact that the her move entailed downsizing from a large 2-bedroom plus den IL apartment to a small one-bedroom. Her final year was spent in skilled nursing where the expense was about $1,500/month more than her monthly fee when she was in independent living.
As Kathy has pointed out, CCRCs vary greatly in quality and costs. Thus, it is important to keep in mind that each of our personal experiences may not by typical of the industry as a whole.
I’ll get back to you on that. But my initial reaction is to ask how much you’d be paying for in-home care. (See DrLefty’s comment on Jonathan’s article today.)
Fair point. The cost would be comparable per hour of personal care aide. But given the way CCRC’s tend to be marketed, it’s more of an unexpected expense for residents.
Thanks for another great post about CCRC living. I’m happy that your choice is working out so well for you. I have made two refundable deposits at two facilities, both nonprofit, a plan A Lifecare plan and the other a hybrid type B. The information you shared previously was a big help to me during my research.
Glad it was helpful!
In following links from the comments I came across this Newsweek ranking of top CCRCs. FWIW…
https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-best-continuing-care-retirement-communities-2024
I’ve seen that list before. My CCRC isn’t at the top, but towards the top. However, I’m not sold on the methodology.
Great article, Kathy. That’s where we’ll be headed.
Thanks Sonja, hope you find a good one.
Anyone know of any great non-profit CCRCs in California? I imagine they are outrageously expensive.
One I’m investigating is http://www.humangood.org I’m no expert on CCRC’s nor do I have any experience with them, but maybe this’ll help get you started. I believe it’s a nonprofit organization and it tries to have entry points that aren’t outrageously expensive, at least at some of their locations. good luck.
the software turned what I typed into a url. it should be “https” and not “http”.
I followed your link and picked Valle Verde in Santa Barbara at random. Certainy looks reasonably priced at first glance. Also discovered that California seems to have some serious regulation.
Thanks for taking a peek Kathy. You certainly know a lot more about this than I do. Plus a 2nd set of eyes is always a good thing!!! I was aware of them as they’re the only full-up CCRC in southern Nevada that I’ve found.
My mother lives at one of the 27 Acts communities:
https://www.actsretirement.org/
From what I’ve seen, they appear to be well run.
I have given a refundable deposit to ACTS. I think it’s a great choice for people like me, who are not yet sure where they will land when the time comes to decide to move in. I currently divide my time between my home near Philadelphia and my NC condo near the kids and grandkids. ACTS has facilities in both locations, and my one deposit puts me on a priority list for all. I could start in one place and transfer later to another. In the meantime, before I am ready to decide to move in at a later date, I have use of the facilities and programs, which is typical of CCRC priority deposit benefits.
Great article, Kathy! I can provide similar details. At my nonprofit CCRC I’m in independent living in a 1BR+den cottage (ground-floor). (Also available are independent living in first- or second-floor apartments in the wings at one end of the central building, with elevator and stairs; and assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care in the wings at the other end.) Pretty much everything is included in the monthly fee, e.g., utilities, internet, basic cable, housekeeping, dining, maintenance. Linens are changed weekly, housecleaning is every second week or less often if desired, and facility services respond quickly to maintenance requests. My washer and dryer are in a spacious laundry room with sink. My covered porch has glass and screen doors facing north, east, and south overlooking a lawn and large pond, and the horticulturist who oversees the landscaping crew is brilliant.
There are upwards of a hundred resident-organized committees and interest groups. The ones also involving staff, such as the dining matters committee, routinely seek and respond to feedback. There are three tiers of dining plans using a declining balance method, with the highest tier fully included in the monthly fee and the lower ones each reimbursing an amount on the monthly statement. The central building, where most activities occur, has all the typical amenities and facilities. A couple additional notes: Committees make sure there is art everywhere on the walls and fresh flowers on the tables. And pets are welcome. (The campus even has a dog park.)
Volunteering is popular here. Among other activities I help solve residents’ tech problems. As an introvert I keep the Ws to myself (Wednesdays and weekends) to recharge. Before arriving I had little contact with older relatives or other seniors; I’ve learned not only how to thrive while aging but also to see the residents as interesting, diverse individuals, not just an undifferentiated population of “the elderly.”
My CCRC requires us to have either Medicare and Medigap coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan. An insurance coordinator handles all billing for us. My entry fee was discounted $60k because I also have 5yr LTC insurance. I, too, encourage readers who are considering moving to a CCRC to look only at nonprofit ones that will keep you if you run out of money. And do not postpone your research — the waitlists here were at least two years long when I moved in 2021 and have been lengthening rapidly; in some areas of the country they are already much longer.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds like you have found a really good place to settle. Mine also requires Medicare and Medigap or Medicare Advantage. It’s licensed for both Medicare and Medicaid and passed the latest inspection with no issues.
Agree about waitlists. The ones at my place are longer than they were before the new building opened, a lot longer than when I first signed up in 2019. I do know of at least one local place that has openings, but there’s a reason for that…
Congratulations Kathy, sounds like you made a great choice. I’ve done taxes this year for several clients who waited a bit too long to move from their homes. They had illnesses, falls, Parkinson. Several had to sell quickly, most had to rely on family or friends to handle the situation. I spent much of the last wo days helping a women whose father died in March before hey could organize his finances. It’s a bit of a mess. I agree that making good decisions about your retirement living, and organizing your estate, is a gift you give to you heirs and yourself. I hope I will make good decisions in the next decade. Thanks for this well written article.
Thanks Rick, and good luck. As I commented earlier this week, the prospect of trying to arrange and monitor in-home care, or organize a move to a nursing home, on an emergency basis was a key motivator for my decision.
You’re both exactly right. Having been in crisis mode with my in-laws this past year several times, we’ve had firsthand experience of how stressful (and expensive) it can be for everyone involved if people are in denial and fail to plan.
Kathy, thanks for sharing this information. My wife and I have discussed a CCRC many times and we plan to follow suit eventually, so I’ll be very interested in reading more about your experiences in your CCRC so please keep sharing your experiences with us. I think you made a smart choice, but I’m sure they’ll be some challenges or disappointments along the way, as well as some pleasant surprises. I’ll be interested in hearing both. Best wishes in your new home!
Thanks. Of course, it has been an adjustment. I spent nearly three years during Covid happily home alone with lots of books and my computer. Now I’m living with hundreds of people. I did start volunteering before I moved in, which really helped with the transition.
You do give up a lot of autonomy when you move, but there’s also a lot less for you to worry about.
I am trying to avoid a CCRC, but based on what you write there is no doubt you have made the right choice. It sounds like you are happy and that is most important.
Unfortunately, such a lifestyle is out of the price range for most retirees. The facilities by us are incredibly expensive requiring nearly a $1 million as a partially refundable deposit with no interest paid.
If you live in a VHCOL area everything is going to be expensive. I don’t, and my entry fee wasn’t close to a million. If you’re in a VHCOL area the cost of in-home care and a nursing home are going to be high too. I agree that entry to a CCRC requires some amount of retirement savings, but so does any comfortable post-work life-style.
It all sounds wonderful! I’m glad it’s working out for you.
Glad to hear your new home is turning out as well as you had anticipated! I was a bit surprised to read there are residents who are still working. Are there also residents who still travel a lot?
One community we visited with my mother had a resident in his 60s who had one of the cottages but was a big traveler and hardly ever there. Obviously the exception, but it makes one wonder about making a CCRC home sooner rather than later (even though the spreadsheet would say this is not optimal).
I would estimate that 15%-20% of the residents in our CCRC here in the greater NYC area (Westchester County) spend their winters in their apartments in warmer weather locations (mostly Florida). A gentlemen down the hall from us who is in his late 80s recently returned from a couple of months in his Florida apartment.
Michael1 – yes indeed, people still travel. Someone from my tai chi class is on his way to Europe with his wife as I write, and I discussed a trip to England with a neighbor yesterday. People travel to visit family as well. Management is currently working on organizing group travel.
At least one couple in my building still has a house up in the NC mountains and I’ve heard of a couple who spend winters here and summers up north. Moving in “early” means you get to take full advantage of the amenities, and an eventual move to assisted living might be less traumatic. Leaving it too long would be a bigger problem as you usually need to be able to start in independent living.
Thanks, Kathy. It sounds like you chose a well-established and well-run community with any kinks already ironed out. Congratulations! Hope you still find time for the occasional HD article as you did today!😊
Thanks Linda. I am staying very busy. I got myself elected interim rep to the residents council, which doesn’t help. This community celebrated its 30th birthday last year, and there are second generation residents, both of which were part of my decision.
Kathy..so interesting to hear about the ideal home for you, which satisfies your needs and offers a safe and secure living environment.
Enjoy the amenities you described and the lifestyle you envisioned for yourself.
Marjorie – thanks. I know you’ve made a different choice. I hope we are both still happy in a few years.
It sounds great!
It’s been a big relief to get moved in and settled.
What an upbeat perspective! It sounds like you made a good move.
Thanks, Edmund. It’s easier to be upbeat when you’re surrounded by upbeat people.
Kathy, it seems that this move is working out very well for you. Thanks for sharing your experience and insights.
Thanks Ken, so far so good!