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Simplify Your Search for Senior Housing |
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009
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Continuing Care Retirement Communities Resources and Tools
With the help of leading senior housing and CCRC professionals, we've assembled the best resources available to help you learn about, assess, and choose the right CCRC options for your needs.
We recommend you download and print each of our checklists. You'll find them invaluable tools when evaluating a community you are interested in and determining the costs you can expect. You'll also find our CCRC Glossary and Frequently Asked Questions sections to be great resources as well.
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| Downloadable Checklists, Worksheets and Documents
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| Long-term Care Conversation Checklist | This conversation guide offers helpful tips for family members to begin talking about senior care and senior housing with their loved ones. | 100.44 KB | Download |
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| Caregiver Stress Test | Take this test periodically to assess the amount of stress you are dealing with as a primary caregiver. | 91.72 KB | Download |
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| CCRC Tour Checklist | Print and take with you when touring continuing care retirement communities. This checklist will help you evaluate each CCRC for important factors such as location, amenities, security, and general atmosphere. | 152.32 KB | Download |
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| CCRC Administrative Checklist | Use this checklist to get more information about the community from the administrators and/or management staff. Questions about licenses, certification, healthcare, transportation, and various policies are covered in this form. | 167.21 KB | Download |
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| CCRC Cost Worksheet | This worksheet is a helpful tool for you to determine what costs you can expect each month from the continuing care retirement community you are interested in. | 123.22 KB | Download |
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| In Case of Emergency Checklist | A vital health history form to keep up-to-date and readily accessible in case of an emergency | 126.59 KB | Download |
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| Fall Prevention Checklist | Make your home safer for seniors and print out this checklist for important safety considerations. | 112.55 KB | Download |
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| Senior Housing – What You Need to Know | Our 12-page booklet offers information about assessing your housing needs, considering certain housing factors, and determining your most important personal preferences in senior housing. | Unknown | Download |
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| Senior Housing Selection Tool | Unsure what type of senior housing is right for you or a loved one? We’ve put together this chart to help you determine what senior housing and level of care options might be most appropriate based on your personal situation. | 88.21 KB | Download |
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- Glossary
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Accreditation
A designation issued by an independent body to an organization. The accrediting body establishes standards and requirements for organizations in a field or industry. To become accredited, the provider implements practices that meet the established standards and requirements.
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Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Physical functions that an independent person performs each day, including bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, walking or wheeling, and transferring into and out of bed.
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Administrator
A licensed professional who undertakes the duty of managing day-to-day operations of a nursing facility.
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Adult Day Care
Services provided to seniors at a community-based center for 8-10 hours during the day. Services are social and health related (i.e. planned activities, assistance with ADLs, and physical and mental exercise) and may cater to seniors with special needs such as memory care. Transportation to and from the center is often provided and meals and snacks are prepared and served.
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Affordable Housing
see Independent Living Community
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Aid & Attendance (VA Benefit)
A special pension provided to Veterans and their widows(ers) of below-average financial means who require regular assistance with ADLs. This is a "pension benefit" and is not dependent upon service-related injuries for compensation.
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Alzheimer’s Disease
A progressive and fatal brain disorder which destroys brain cells and causes degradation of memory, thinking and behavior. The most common form of dementia.
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American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA)
A non-profit membership organization which provides superior educational programming, certification in a variety of positions, and career development for long-term care administrators. They also Identify, recognize, and support long term care leaders, advocating for their mission and promoting excellence in their profession.
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Animal-assisted therapy (AAT)
see Pet Therapy
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Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
A non-profit organization that receives government support to organize and administer programs and services to older Americans on a local level. Their service area typically includes a county or group of counties. They also specialize in providing resources to seniors of below average financial means.
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Assisted Living Agreement (with respect to a CCRC)
A type of agree which allows seniors to enter the assisted living unit of a CCRC from an external environment that is not part of the CCRC. The individual pays the established daily rate for the assisted living or nursing care services received. These agreements generally do not guarantee access to more than one level of care.
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Assisted Living Community
A group living arrangement that is designed to meet the needs of people who cannot live independently but do not require nursing facility services. Most provide help with some or all ADLs and IADLs. Types and sizes of facilities vary, ranging small homes to large apartment-style complexes. Small assisted living facilities with few residents (i.e. 4-8 residents) are often referred to as Residential Care Homes.
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| Q: Is a Continuing Care Retirement Community the right choice for me? |
| A: Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), also known as Life Care Communities or Life Services Communities are the fastest growing model of care in senior housing and the definition is continuing to evolve. Most CCRCs have large campuses that include separate housing for those who live very independently, assisted living facilities that offer more support, and nursing homes for those needing skilled nursing care. Residents then move from one housing choice to another as their needs change. For most people who can currently live independently, a CCRC would be a good choice if they would like to secure a living space that allows them to “Age in Place” and guarantee future healthcare needs would be provided without having to move. |
| Q: How much does it cost? |
| A: The cost of senior housing depends a lot on the range of services you want or need. While usually very expensive, many guarantee lifetime shelter and care with long-term contracts that detail the housing and care obligations of the CCRC as well as its costs. A significant payment is usually required (called an endowment) prior to admission, as well as monthly fees. Often there is a lifetime contract written that assures care through the progression of care needs. |
| Q: What are the different types of contracts offered for CCRCs? |
A: The most common types of CCRC agreements available today are:
• Type A (Extensive) Agreement: Includes housing, residential services, amenities and unlimited, specific health-related services with little or no substantial increase in monthly payments, except to cover normal operating costs and inflation adjustments.
• Type B (Modified) Agreement: Includes housing, residential services and amenities and a specific amount of health care with no substantial increase in monthly payments, except to cover normal operating costs and inflation adjustments. After the specified amount of health care is used, persons served pay either a discounted rate or the full per diem rates for required health care services.
• Type C (Fee-for-Service) Agreement: Includes housing, residential services and amenities for the fees stated in the resident agreement. Access to health care services is guaranteed, but it may be required at full fee-for-service rates.
• Equity Agreement: These types of agreements involve the actual purchase of real estate or membership. Includes condominiums and cooperatives.
• Rental Agreement: Allows residents the opportunity to rent their housing and provides, but does not guarantee, access to health care services paid on a fee-for-service basis.
• Assisted Living Agreement: Person served enters into an assisted living agreement and pays the per-diem (an agreed upon daily rate) or market rate for assisted living services.
• Skilled Nursing Agreement: Person served enters into a skilled nursing agreement and pays the per-diem (an agreed upon daily rate) or market rate for skilled nursing services.
Determine what fee structure and contract options best fit your personal situation. Since the investment can be significant, it would be prudent before signing to have a lawyer or accountant review any contract. |
| Q: How can I pay for a Continuing Care Community? |
A: Payment options for care in a multi-level care community vary based on how the community is structured. Despite the fact that multi-level care communities offer various types of care, most often each care level operates independently of the other(s). Therefore, the payment options that apply to communities that only offer one level of care (IL, AL, & NH) also apply to most multi-level care communities. The exception to this rule is for Continuing Care Retirement Communities which have a vastly different payment structure. The following are methods by which seniors may pay for housing and care in a CCRC (most often a senior will use a combination of two or more of the following):
1. Private Funds – seniors with comfortable financial means pay for assisted living care with private funds. Some examples of private funds are:
a. Money from savings, checking, & money market accounts
b. Liquidation of investments such as stocks, bonds, & mutual funds
c. Liquidation of assets such as a home or a life insurance policy
d. Monetary contributions from family members
2. Long term care insurance – Once a LTC Insurance policy holder’s health has declined to the point that they meet minimum requirements of the policy, the Insurance company will begin to pay benefits which may be used to pay for assisted living.
3. Veteran’s Benefits – Veterans (or their widows(ers)) that have served during wartime may be eligible for benefits through the Veteran’s Administration. To qualify, you must either have a low income and few assets or have disproportionately high medical-related expenses in relation to their income.
4. Grants- Seniors with below average financial means may qualify for a grant from the individual CCRC which may offset some or all of the costs.
5. Medicare- Medicare pays out in situations of short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay.
Note: Medicare and Medicaid are not a viable source of payment for long-term care in a CCRC. |
| Q: How can I be sure about the quality of care provided? |
A: CCRCs are unique in many ways and one more way they distinguish themselves can be through an accreditation process. CARF-CCAC is a non-profit organization which has a rigorous evaluation process to assure consumers that any community passing their review has the highest possible standards of care and services.
To see if a CCRC has the CARF accreditation, you can click on the “Affiliations” link on the facilities detailed listing. |
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