newsprompt.coCONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
Continuing Care Retirement Community
Part independent living, part assisted living and part skilled nursing home, CCRCs offer a tiered approach to the aging process, accommodating residents’ changing needs. Upon entering, healthy adults can reside independently in single-family homes, apartments or condominiums. When assistance with everyday activities becomes necessary, they can move into assisted living or nursing care facilities. These communities give older adults the option to live in one location for the duration of their life, with much of their future care already figured out. This can provide a great level of comfort to both your parents and you and take much of the stress out of the caregiving relationship.
CCRCs Cost
The most expensive of all long-term-care options, CCRCs require a hefty entrance fee as well as monthly charges. Entrance fees can range from $100,000 to $1 million — an upfront sum to prepay for care as well as to provide the facility money to operate. Monthly charges can range from $3,000 to $5,000, but may increase as needs change. These fees are dependent on a variety of factors including the health of your loved one(s), the type of housing they choose, whether they rent or buy, the number of residents living in the facility and the type of service contract. Additional fees may be incurred for other options including housekeeping, meal service, transportation and social activities.
Types of Contracts
There are three basic types of contracts for CCRCs:
- Life Care or Extended Contract: This is the most expensive option, but offers unlimited assisted living, medical treatment and skilled nursing care without additional charges.
- Modified Contract: This contract offers a set of services provided for a set length of time. When that time is expired, other services can be obtained, but for higher monthly fees.
- Fee-for-Service Contract: The initial enrollment fee may be lower, but assisted living and skilled nursing will be paid for at their market rates.
Levels Of Care
Most CCRCs provide three separate levels of care: independent living units (ILUs), assisted living, and skilled nursing care. In some cases individuals move progressively through these levels of care so that they need little care in the beginning and progressively require a greater amount of care. In other cases, residents require additional care for a period of time and then return to independent or assisted living.
During the first of these levels, ILU, the resident lives in his or her own residential unit. Double occupancy units exist for married individuals, but the majority are single units in the form of studio apartments, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or larger units. During this period, residential services might include housekeeping, laundry services, and meals. Acute medical treatment in the form of skilled nursing, physical therapy, or assistance with personal needs is also available. During this period residents are most likely to take advantage of the residential facilities, which can include craft rooms, gardening areas, golf courses, recreational facilities, tennis courts, swimming pools, or walking trails.
- Assisted living is an intermediate level of care that some residents experience between independent living and skilled nursing care. During this phase, residents with chronic care needs are assisted both medically and with personal care tasks (bathing, dressing, eating, etc.).
- Finally, skilled nursing care is also offered by the majority of CCRCs in the form of short- and long-term nursing care and rehabilitative services. These services are often offered on-site, although some facilities contract with nearby nursing homes.
So whether a resident requires a short-term recovery stay at a skilled nursing center or their health needs increase, they can transition from one level to the next without leaving the community. This provides a permanent link to friends and families for them by assuring they remain in a single location.
Finding The Right Facility
Since there are no federal regulations for CCRCs, find out if any state or local guidelines exist. Additionally, check to see if the facility is accredited by the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC)—an independent accrediting body sponsored by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. Accreditation by the CCAC means that the facility has met set standards in the areas of residential life, health and wellness, financial resources and disclosure, and governance and administration. This accreditation requires CCRCs to submit annual financial statements and must be renewed every five years.
As with all residential communities, before your loved one signs up for a continuing care retirement community he or she should interview several facilities. When you interview prospective CCRCs, you might want to take a list of questions with you. Below are some questions to ask if your loved one is interested in continuing care facilities—ask these in addition to the more basic questions you would ask about any residential facility. Additionally, it is smart to visit a facility several times before making a final decision. While you are there, be sure to eat with residents, talk to the staff, and pick up a current copy of the resident handbook. If possible, try to stay in the guest quarters a time or two as well.
