I often talk and write about the many benefits that come with living in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, or “life plan” community). Travelling to CCRCs across the U.S., I am fortunate to witness firsthand the ways so many of these communities enhance the lives of their residents, and also provide compassionate care if [...]
In last week’s post, I highlighted a recent article that discussed the advice that caregivers of a family member who has Alzheimer’s disease would share with others who are newly embarking on this labor of love. Much of the advice centered around the emotional and financial challenges that caregiving can present and the need to [...]
Some journeys you get to pick; others are chosen for you. Such is the case for people who are caring for a loved one who is suffering from a degenerative mental condition like Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.7 million Americans are currently living with [...]
I have to confess: I was a little surprised by the responses I received from last week’s blog post on CCRCs’ elevators. In it, I discuss how less expensive (and thus slower) elevators may be selected by a commercial developer as a cost-savings measure, but it is a building’s residents who pay the price for [...]
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of.” —Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1746 We’ve all been there: You push the up or down button on the elevator, and then you wait. And wait. And wait. You heard the pulleys and gears grinding, and then finally: [...]
In a former life, prior to founding myLifeSite, I was a financial advisor (FA) for nearly 14 years. Some of the older adults I advised were interested in the benefits of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, or life plan community)—especially the on-site access to a continuum of care services—but there were a variety of [...]
I recently heard an interesting story on Charlotte’s NPR station about the influx of people who are choosing to retire in North Carolina and the resulting need for more senior living and care options in the state. The piece discussed several new continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs, or life plan communities) that are under construction [...]
I often get asked about how our various senior living models here in the U.S., including continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs or life plan communities), compare to the options abroad. The impetus for this query is typically from one of two angles: Some people are pondering if they would like to move to another country [...]
Over the last couple of years, I’ve heard the phrase “rogue resident” occasionally used by members of the continuing care retirement community (CCRC) industry to describe residents who are viewed as having unrealistic expectations or requests of management. Sometimes these perceptibly disgruntled residents deter the board of directors (and possibly management) from inviting resident involvement [...]
Countless studies have shown that human interaction has many benefits for seniors (and conversely, loneliness is detrimental to seniors’ mental and physical health); it’s an important topic I’ve frequently written about. Indeed, humans are naturally social creatures, and it is our hardwired predisposition to crave companionship and connection, no matter our age. This is why [...]
