What it is
One move, every level of care, and a contract to read carefully
A continuing care retirement community (the state calls it a continuing care contract; some call it a life plan community) is a campus where you move in while independent and can move through assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing on the same grounds as your needs change. The promise is one move and a known plan for the future. The price of that promise is an entrance fee, often a large one, plus a monthly fee for life.
The entrance fee and the contract type decide everything. Some contracts include future care in the monthly fee (the cost is front-loaded), some charge market rate for care when you need it, and some sit in between. Some refund part of the entrance fee to your estate, some do not. Two campuses that look alike can be very different financial decisions, and the brochure rarely makes that clear.
Our role is to help you compare: what the contract actually guarantees, what the campus is like at each level of care, and whether a CCRC is a better answer for your situation than independent living with a care wing, or assisted living when the time comes. We tell families plainly when it is not.
A CCRC suits someone who
- Is still independent and wants to plan the whole road, not one step
- Has the savings or home equity for an entrance fee and wants predictable costs after it
- Wants a spouse to stay on the same campus even if one needs more care than the other
- Values a large campus with dining, fitness, clubs and a long waitlist of like-minded neighbors
- Wants the move to be the last one
Probably not the right fit when
- Care is needed now, not laterAssisted living
- Wants the community without the entrance feeIndependent living
- Memory loss that already affects safetyMemory care
Free, no obligation
Tell us what is going on
Tell us a little about your situation and a local advisor will call or email you back, usually the same business day.
Prefer to talk? Call 866-744-1417, answered until 6 pm. Send the form any time and we reply outside those hours too. Our help is free to your family.
Before you sign
What to ask about the contract and the fees
These are the questions our advisors go through with every family considering a CCRC. Bring the answers to a financial advisor or elder law attorney before you sign.
- Which contract type?Life care (care included), modified (some care included), or fee-for-service (care at market rate). The monthly fee only makes sense once you know this.
- What is refundable?Entrance fees range from fully amortizing to 90 percent refundable. Ask what your estate gets back and when.
- How have fees increased?Ask for the monthly fee history over five to ten years, for every level of care.
- What if the money runs out?Some communities have a benevolence fund or a written policy; ask to see it.
- Is each level of care good?Tour the assisted living, memory care and nursing areas, not only the independent living side you would move into.
- Is it in good standing?CCRCs are regulated by the state and file annual financial reports; ask for the latest one and look up the community’s license record.
How we help
How we help you compare
- Tell us where you areStill independent or starting to need help, the part of the Bay Area, the budget, and whether a spouse is part of the plan.
- We lay out the real choicesCCRCs near you, plus the independent living and assisted living communities that could be the better answer. With the numbers side by side.
- Tour every level, with an advisorWe come with you and we insist on seeing the care areas, because that is where you may spend years.
- Decide with the contract in handWe go through the contract questions above with you, and we point you to a financial advisor or elder law attorney for the signature.
How we choose
How we choose the communities we show you
Before a family sees a list, our advisor calls around. Communities are asked what they have open right now, at what price and for what level of care, so the short list only holds places that can actually take your parent this month.
We share a brief overview of the situation only with the communities that fit, and we ask them to hold off on calling you until a tour is set. Your phone number is not passed around.
An advisor goes on the tours with you, helps with the physician report and the other paperwork a community needs, and stays involved through move-in day.
Check a license yourself
CCRCs in California are regulated by the Department of Social Services, which licenses the care levels and reviews the continuing care contracts. The assisted living and memory care areas appear on the state’s public Care Facility Search, and the skilled nursing area on the Department of Public Health’s Cal Health Find. Ask us if a record is hard to read.
Four local advisors, one number. Johnell, Ashley, Tanvi and Kayevon cover the nine Bay Area counties.
Reviews
What families say
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When you don’t know what to do , or, just where or how to start, it’s time for professional assistance. Neighborly Senior Placement is that service. Neighborly understands and is familiar with your needs way before you are aware of them and will coach you through the processes required. We highly recommend Neighborly Senior Placement.Rod and Linda Morgan
For anyone embarking on finding a senior home for a loved one we highly recommend Kayevon Serna at Neighborly Senior Placement. There are just too many places available & too many unknowns to research them all on your own. So, Kayevon helped us tremendously from our first phone conversation to signing my dad into a nice facility. She was there every step of the way. She narrowed down options that were a good fit for our dad and even answered questions for us after his placement. You will not regret working with Kayevon. It will make your life so much easier! Thank you Kayevon!!!
Johnell contines to exemplify heartfelt professionalism and knowledge. I continually rely on her for personal and practical placement based on individual and family needs. She’s amazing, both heart and experience!!
Questions
Questions families ask
What does CCRC mean?
Continuing care retirement community: a campus with independent living, assisted living and usually memory care and skilled nursing, where a resident moves in while independent and can move to higher care on the same grounds. In California the arrangement is a regulated continuing care contract.
How is a CCRC different from assisted living?
Assisted living is a residence for someone who needs help now, paid month to month. A CCRC is a long-term plan you buy into while independent, with an entrance fee, that guarantees access to care later. Someone who already needs daily help usually belongs in assisted living, not a CCRC.
What does the entrance fee buy?
Depending on the contract type, it buys priority access to the care levels on campus, a lower or fixed monthly fee for future care, and sometimes a partial refund to your estate. The amount and what it covers vary widely, which is why the contract type is the first thing to establish.
What happens if I run out of money in a CCRC?
Ask before you sign. Many communities have a written policy or a benevolence fund that keeps residents who outlive their resources, and the contract will say what it does and does not promise. We help you ask the question clearly and we recommend a financial advisor or elder law attorney reviews the contract.
Is your help free for CCRCs too?
Yes. Our help is free to your family for every option we compare, CCRCs included.
Something else on your mind? Call 866-744-1417, answered until 6 pm.
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Comparing a CCRC with everything else? Start here
The form takes two minutes. A local advisor replies the same business day in most cases, and the help is free to your family.