Last week I spoke to a large group of prospective residents at a life plan community (also called a continuing care retirement community, or CCRC) in Phoenix, Arizona. After the presentation, a couple approached me. They appeared noticeably younger than the typical prospective resident, which they acknowledged. They explained that one of the main reasons they were already planning a move to a CCRC was the experience they had with the husband’s parents, who lived in one — and they realized CCRCs can benefit adult children as well as residents.
He described how, shortly after his parents moved in, his mother experienced a health event that required a stay in the community’s healthcare/rehab center. Because she already lived at the CCRC, the transition from hospital to the on-site healthcare center was smooth. After her recovery she returned to independent living with her husband without the logistical complications that often accompany such changes.
The husband emphasized how much easier that period was for everyone involved. His father could walk over each day to visit his wife instead of driving across town, reducing stress and increasing the frequency of visits. About a year later, when the father experienced his own health crisis, the roles reversed: his mother was able to walk to the on-site center and see him every day. That continuity and convenience made a lasting impression on their family.
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A frequent refrain from younger-than-average CCRC residents
Thinking back, I remembered another similar encounter at a different life plan community in Arizona the previous year. In that conversation a couple, also younger than most residents, shared a story about how well their family had been supported by a CCRC.
The husband told how his father was taken to the hospital by ambulance. A day or two later, while the family was trying to arrange transportation home, the CCRC staff had already coordinated everything and planned to pick him up from the hospital. The couple was amazed at how efficiently and compassionately the community’s staff handled the situation, and how much they cared for residents. That level of support made life easier for the whole family and left a strong impression on the adult children.
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The common thread
Reflecting on these conversations made me wonder why such positive experiences with their parents’ CCRC led these younger couples to want to move in earlier than average. Both examples centered on healthcare-related events rather than amenities or independent living perks.
One possibility is that witnessing the quality of care and the staff’s compassion made the idea of living in a CCRC appealing. Another is the realization that health situations can change quickly, even at a younger age. These couples wanted to be where they trusted they would be taken care of, whenever the need arises.
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The draw of the CCRC
Research supports these impressions. In 2011, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, Ziegler, and Brecht Associates conducted the “National Survey of Family Members of Residents Living in Continuing Care Retirement Communities.” More than 220 primarily nonprofit CCRCs participated, and over 3,600 family members from 49 states and D.C. responded.
Family members gave decisive feedback:
- 93 percent agreed that CCRCs provided good services to residents.
- 93 percent would recommend their loved ones’ community to others.
- 88 percent felt their family members’ community had a high-quality reputation compared to others.
- 76 percent believed the services reflected good value for the price.
Survey responses also revealed strong interest in CCRCs for respondents themselves:
- Seventy-seven percent said they would be “likely” or “very likely” to consider a CCRC lifestyle.
- Interest was strongly influenced by family members’ experiences; among those “very likely” to choose a CCRC, 74 percent reported that their family members’ experiences influenced them greatly.
- Access to assisted living and long-term care (a continuum of care) ranked among the most important reasons respondents would select a CCRC.
- A large majority agreed CCRCs offer continuity of care if health needs change (91 percent), maintenance-free living (90 percent), opportunities to meet new people (87 percent), and chances to pursue new interests (77 percent).
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Life-changing experiences with aging parents
The survey findings echo the stories I heard from the couples in Arizona. I’ve also heard many accounts from people who had more difficult experiences caring for aging parents at home. Those stories often involve sudden health crises that force families to scramble for in-home care, secure an available bed in a skilled nursing facility, or assume exhausting caregiving responsibilities themselves.
Such emotionally and physically draining experiences frequently motivate people to seek alternatives for their own futures, often with the hope of sparing their adult children similar stress.
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The couple I met recently summed up this reasoning in a follow-up email:
“It takes a significant amount of intellectual and emotional energy to make family decisions about money, moving, health care and distribution of assets. It takes much more energy when you have to make them in times of crisis. The more decisions we can make now when the pressure to act is minimal, the better. The more we can take the burden of making those decisions off of our children, the better. It will be very surprising if we anticipate all the decisions that need to be made, but we can limit them substantially. Of course, no one knows the optimal time for making the decisions about whether and when to consider a CCRC. But I have spent over 40 years as a lawyer, including 20 years as a judge, and I have seen very few people regret making decisions like this too soon. However, I have seen many regret that they acted too late.”