My volunteer work is like a flashback to my paid work days. As the newly elected President of the National Continuing Care Residents Association (NaCCRA), I am doing some association management tasks again.
The Board of Directors are all residents of CCRCs from east, west, north, and south. Two members are in their 90s. Each community is different with some being large like my community with over 2,000 residents. Some are smaller with about 200 residents. We all share the belief that working together will improve and protect the continuing care retirement community (CCRC) lifestyle. Some providers have labeled themselves “Life Plan Communities” to remove the words “care” and “retirement” word from the vocabulary. Apparently, the “boomers” don’t like those words.
NaCCRA retains the continuing care lexicon. An association devoted just for residents is more important than ever as newer residents expect input into the decisions affecting their lives as well as the means to engage in purposeful activities. The days of “we are here to take care of you” are over. Yes, many residents need “care” but many of us move to CCRCs for the freedom from the maintenance involved in caring for a home and the amenities and activities at our doorstep.
We see the two kinds of residents that move into a CCRC. Some are need-based, one of the spouses may need the care and protective environment while others look to the ease and convenience of the lifestyle.
Dan and I are of the latter persuasion. After working for many years representing CCRC providers, I knew that was the lifestyle I wanted. Also, I saw first hand what life was like visiting my parents at Charlestown for 18 years. They had a good life here.
I try to follow the what is happening in the senior housing field by reading Senior Housing News and Senior Housing Forum. Both offer news and insights about what is happening in not only in CCRCs but independent living, assisted living, and nursing homes. It’s interesting to read about the trends and financial arrangements used to fund new operations. REITS are used more as a financing vehicle for properties with operations being bought and sold. It would make me nervous as a resident as properties are transferred or sold.
Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are taking a beating with the pressure of regulations, staffing challenges, and reimbursement. A developer in Oregon is building a new community without skilled beds. It’s labeled a “micro CCRC” with independent living, assisted living, and memory care.
I was talking with a friend in Wisconsin who reported that some CCRCs were coming back from a convention reporting that maybe it would be more efficient and cost-effective to bring services into independent living rather than have the skilled beds. It will be interesting to see how this trend evolves. Our community is in the middle of a new care center building project to include skilled and memory care units as well as assisted living beds.