When it comes to senior housing and lifestyle options, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), also known as life plan communities, offer a great option for those looking for engaged living and peace of mind. There are a lot of misconceptions about what CCRC/Life Plan communities offer, so let’s uncover the facts and benefits of this type of full-service senior living community:
- Not-for-Profit vs For-Profit: While not all CCRC’s are not-for-profit, many are, including Ingleside. What does being a not-for-profit mean? First and foremost, company profits are reinvested back into the organization and not distributed to owners or shareholders. More importantly, as a not-for-profit, endowment funds provide financial support when residents exhaust their resources through no fault of their own. In more than 100 years, Ingleside has never asked a resident to leave due to the inability to pay. That is the not-for-profit difference with a mission-driven organization.
- Independent Living? Assisted Living? Memory Care? How can you enter into a CCRC? The great news here is that anyone can come into the community no matter where they are in their journey. There has always been the misconception that you can only move into Independent Living.
- Entrance Fees: CCRC’s have a one-time, up-front entrance fee that has varying refundable rates from which a consumer can choose. This money is returned to an individual if they move out, or to the estate or trust if they live out their life in the community. Coming into Assisted Living or Memory Support requires a much smaller entrance fee, in most cases comparable to a community fee in a free-standing Assisted Living or Memory Care community.
- A CCRC offers a welcoming, inclusive community of varied individuals. No matter where someone lives in the community, they are welcomed into a culture that sees everyone the same, whether they are active and independent or living with cognitive change.
- Extensive Amenities: CCRCs/Life Plan communities are often compared to a cruise ship, offering ample opportunities for social, educational and recreational engagement, plus onsite amenities such as fitness centers, salon and spas, art studios, woodshops, classrooms and much more.
- Lifetime housing = Peace of Mind: Imagine never having to look for another home again; to gain the peace of mind in knowing that your needs will be met at any stage of your life.
- Friends and neighbors for life: No matter where you live in a CCRC, you will always have your friends and neighbors there for you. Value = priceless.
So, while there are many senior living communities that meet the social and financial requirements of older adults today, a CCRC/Life Plan community provides benefits that are intangible and incomparable.
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