Once you have narrowed down some CCRC choices through your research, contact the CCRCs, and arrange for tours.
Contact the CCRC
Contact the CCRC and ask for a tour. Specifically ask to see all the amenities, all the healthcare facilities, and residences in which you are interested. Ask to sample a meal so you may evaluate the restaurant décor, food, and service and meet some of the residents. Most CCRCs will provide complimentary overnight stays so you may try the amenities, such as pool and fitness center, and experience living at the faculty.
Each CCRC is different, so much so that a saying in the industry is that "If you've seen one CCRC, you've seen one CCRC." Choosing a CRRC is like buying a house. Each one has things you like and things you don’t like. You must visit a lot of them and then pick the one that best suits your needs.
Before going on a tour
Some things to consider before going on a tour of a CCRC:
- The area surrounding the CCRC. Is it within walking distance or near shopping, grocery stores, restaurants, and other places you are likely to use regularly? Are your, or other, doctors, dentists, etc. located nearby? Are there high-quality hospitals and medical centers nearby? Is the CCRC near major cities, parks, lakes, and other recreational areas? If you like to travel, is it near a major airport? One way to check out the area around a CCRC is to use Google Maps or Google Earth.
- Location of the CCRC. Is it near family and loved ones? A major reason for moving to a CCRC is that it will take care of you as you age. However, when you are ill, you want someone near who loves you and cares about what happens to you. No matter what anyone says, a person you pay to care for you is not the same as has having someone near you who loves you and genuinely cares for you. When the shift is over, the paid help goes home and forgets you exist.
- Noise in the area. When you walk through the grounds and sit in the lovely gardens, what do you hear? Is it birds or is it traffic, dogs barking at an adjacent kennel, crowds yelling at a nearby sports complex, school playgrounds, etc.? Is the complex located near enough to an airport to be under a major runway approach so that landing aircraft pass overhead regularly? The fight path may change depending on the runways being used at the time. Is the complex located near a busy railroad or a major body of water with commercial ship traffic? Train and ship horns are very loud. Is any nearby construction in progress or planned? One highly rated CCRC in the Triad was built in a peaceful, quiet setting bordered by lowlands and streams that precluded any nearby construction. Now, there is a multi-lane elevated highway that borders most of the complex.
- Renovation or new construction at the CCRC. Consumers are sometimes unpleasantly surprised to learn about major renovations and/or new construction at a CCRC only after they have been living in it for several years. Construction often takes several years to complete. During this period, there can be significant disruption to the environment with noise, air pollution, and re-routing to access common areas in the facility. The most serious impact can result in temporary relocation from one’s living unit. Some construction is expected, such as the need and importance of renovation to improve safety, retrofitting or installing new elevators, or renovation to maintain marketability for older facilities, which is necessary to attract new residents and maintain the CCRC’s financial viability.
- Newly opened CCRC. If you are entering a new CCRC, they are usually built in phases and it may take years to complete all the phases and take even longer for the vegetation and grounds to become beautiful. Buying into a new CCRC is like buying the first house in a new development. There will be no landscaping, there will be construction noise and traffic, mechanical things may not work properly when you move in, and the staff will be inexperienced, and it may be that way for years. It is important to find out at what stage the assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care levels are planned to be in place so appropriate care levels are available when you might need them.
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