Continuing Care Retirement Communities
Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) provide a combination of housing and health care services to people 60 and older who can live independently, as well as to those who need full-time nursing care. This setting provides activities, help with meals, housekeeping, and other support services. It has varied levels of medical services that allow individuals to “age in place” rather than relocate as their health changes.
Sometimes called “life care” or “continuing care,” about 80 such communities in California house anywhere from 100 to 1,000 residents. The cost can range from about $10,000 for a studio apartment to $500,000 for a two-bedroom home with a yard. Residents may either transfer their assets to the facility or pay a large monthly fee. Neither insurance nor government programs provide financial help for the direct costs of a CCRC.
Most individuals entering a CCRC begin with independent living and then move to assisted living, which offers some help with bathing, dressing, eating, and using the toilet and then perhaps to nursing care, for those who require skilled nursing care.