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For active seniors considering senior housing options, the prospect of community living may seem stifling, but the truth is, continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) provide both the environment and activities that aide in maintaining a proactive life.
"The unique thing about a continuing care retirement community is the people living here create the lifestyle and sense of community," says Dan Rexford, executive vice president of Erickson Retirement Communities, a development/management company based in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Rexford says that the continuing care retirement community is very similar to a college campus in this sense, which distinguishes it from an assisted living community. "In assisted living, the people are not setting the agenda for the campus," he explains. "The people have a higher level of need so the staff tend to set the programs and agenda, whereas in a CCRC, 90 percent of the residents are independent and therefore capable of determining the campus lifestyle."
Tom Foster, a 75-year-old former deputy superintendent of the Baltimore City Public School System, has resided at the Oak Crest continuing care retirement community (Parkville, MD) for over 11 years with his wife, a retired nurse. "We had a five-bedroom house and moved here in 1995 after my mother died and my three children married or moved into their own homes," he recalls. Seeing no point in two people maintaining a house that size, they began looking into retirement communities.
"Oak Crest provides independent living, assisted living, and constant care on campus. We moved to this continuing care retirement community for that reason and also because the deposit was 100 percent refundable to us or our estate in case of our moving away or our deaths," he says. He also cites the large campus size and numerous amenities as a deciding factor.
"There are more than 150 resident-run continuing care retirement community clubs here, and my wife and I have won several awards for initiating activities and volunteering," says Tom. "I started a project called Person-to-Person, which lists residents who are willing to help others with tasks such as balancing checkbooks, feeding and walking pets, delivering meals and altering clothes, among other things."
One misconception about those who live in retirement communities is that they are no longer able to give back to society, but the continuing care retirement community is changing that.
"Not only are they very interested in the well being of younger generations and in making a difference, but they actually do help," Rexford says, referring to an educational program started by community residents called Bridging Generations. "With a unique combination of talent, experience, and time, they are able to do a great deal for those around them."
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