Many older adults need a little assistance as they age, and there’s a spectrum of senior living options available today. The best-known places are:
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These options can address the needs of a senior who doesn’t want to live alone at home, could use a little extra help or might require round-the-clock care.
But there’s a fourth option available that may be less well-known. It’s a sort of one-stop-shop living alternative called a continuing care retirement community, or CCRC.
What Are Continuing Care Retirement Communities?
CCRCs, which are sometimes called life plan communities, “are designed to provide comprehensive support for seniors and others through different retirement and care stages,” explains Bob Rees, chief sales officer with eHealth Inc., a health insurance broker and online resource provider headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
More specifically, a single CCRC campus can house independent living, assisted living and nursing care facilities. Residents can age in one level and transition to the next as their care needs change.
This progression of care – which sets CCRCs apart from other types of senior living arrangements – gives seniors the chance to develop friendships and communities that remain intact, adds Sue Johansen, a San Francisco-based executive vice president with A Place for Mom, a senior advisory service.
What Is the Purpose of a CCRC?
CCRCs are the last place a senior needs to move to in order to get all of their future…