- Continuing care retirement communities are a housing option for elderly persons who may need assisted care as they age. A contract is signed that allows the senior to stay in one location, whether he needs nursing care, assisted living or can live independently. These communities exist almost everywhere in the US, and once the contract is signed, seniors can move from different types of housing as their needs increase for assistance without disrupting the contract or moving to another city.
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Three types of retirement communities exist, often within the same complex. Independent living is where seniors can start out when they're healthy and active. A senior can have her own apartment, townhouse or even a single-family home in this program.
The next step is assisted living for seniors who can still live on their own but need help with daily activities like bathing or eating. Apartments are available for these seniors, but the unit may have a community dining area.
Last, there is the nursing home for seniors who need a skilled nurse's help. These homes are shared with many other seniors. - Continuing care retirement communities have many housing units with varying levels of care available. Nursing and medical services are available in the nursing homes, and already cooked meals, help with housekeeping, help with daily living activities like bathing or dressing, fun activities and transportation are available in the assisted living houses. If a senior has needs for additional help or services for a condition or disease like diabetes or Alzheimer's, it is possible for this to be arranged.
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An important consideration when deciding if a continuing care retirement community is right for a senior is whether it it is affordable or not. Costs depend on the area, but as a whole, this community living can be very expensive for the family who has to pitch in to pay for it.
Monthly fees, similar to rent, can even be over a couple thousand dollars. The cheapest would be around $400. And, there's often a deposit or entrance fee required to hold down a space in this kind of community and buy a place in the program that can sometimes be around $500,000.
Twenty thousand dollars as a down payment is about as cheap as it gets. -
For many, retirement communities are a good option for seniors to live happily. But for others, being away from family and alone or in a nursing home with other unknown seniors is depressing and can be a damaging living situation.
There have been many incidences of seniors not enjoying this living arrangement and nurses not being as caring or conscientious as they can be--unfortunately, sometimes these conditions can lead to a senior passing away early. It's important to look at the effects that the living situation has on the senior staying there.
