What is a Continuing Care Retirement Community?

When it’s time to consider a move to a senior living community or help a loved one explore their options for a future home, it can be difficult to know which choice is best. You also likely recognize that your needs will continue to evolve over time. While you may feel ready for a change today, the idea of having to move again if your circumstances change is another thought entirely.

That’s where a continuing care retirement community, also known as a CCRC or life plan community, can make all the difference. At a CCRC, you’ll find a full continuum of care, including independent living, assisted living, memory care assisted living, and long-term or long-term chronic care, all on one campus. That means that you can receive the right level of housing, health care, and support as your needs change.

Hebrew SeniorLife’s NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham, MA, and Orchard Cove in Canton, MA, are two examples of CCRCs that offer residents choice, continuity, and community at every stage of life. Here’s more about how continuing care retirement communities work and what makes them special:    

How a continuing care retirement community works 

The defining feature of a continuing care retirement community is its continuum of care. If you move in at the independent living level, you can easily transition to another level of care in the same familiar environment if your needs happen to change. You can also form lasting social connections and enjoy enriching programs designed to help you live your best life.

This model of care offers stability and connection. Residents often build lasting friendships and meaningful relationships with staff, without the disruption of having to find a new community when care needs change. While you may change apartments, you’ll continue living among people who already know you, preserving your sense of community and belonging.

Research shows that older adults relocate to senior living communities for many reasons, including to feel less isolated, have greater access to health care, and gain peace of mind. CCRCs provide all these benefits under one roof, and our communities are designed to deliver that continuity for all our residents.  

Is a CCRC right for you? 

A CCRC may be a good fit for you or a loved one if you:

• Want to plan ahead for future health and care needs
• Value staying in one familiar community and want to minimize moves
• Enjoy an active, social lifestyle with opportunities for learning and engagement
• Appreciate the peace of mind of knowing care is available when you need it
• Wish to maintain as much independence as possible, no matter how much support you need

The Executive Office of Aging & Independence offers a CCRC Consumer Guide, which includes helpful questions and key considerations to help you find your best-fit community in Massachusetts.  

What makes Hebrew SeniorLife’s CCRCs unique

It’s worth noting that not all continuing care communities operate the same way. In many CCRCs, residents must transition to a higher level of care when their needs grow. “The community will say that you can only have a certain number of hours of help in your apartment before you need to move from independent to enhanced or assisted living, and from assisted living to skilled nursing,” explains David Calnan, senior sales counselor at Orchard Cove. “These communities are set up with rigid parameters as to what they will and won’t do at various levels of care, leading people from one level of care to the next.”

We take a different approach. Residents are never required to move from one level of care to another. When a transition could better meet your needs or align with what matters most to you, we’ll work with you to plan it together — always guided by your autonomy and independence.

Our commitment to resident choice goes beyond care decisions. In our high-level, high-service, and high-touch environments, our residents enjoy a rich daily program that includes performances, eminent guest speakers, fitness classes, art classes, and intergenerational activities. All of this is set within beautiful, natural settings that have been compared to summer camp for adults.

Another feature that sets us apart is the on-site Harvard Medical School-affiliated medical practice, located in both communities. This practice, which offers both primary and specialty care, offers residents convenient access to health care focused on personal values, goals, and desires — right where they live.

Through our combination of flexible care, an enriching lifestyle, and on-site medical support, our CCRCs empower residents to live their best lives at every stage of life. 

In their own words: Living through the continuum of care 

Residents and families at our CCRCs often share how the continuum of care has supported their continued independence and well-being as their needs evolve. Hear from a resident and family member as they share their own experiences:

A resident’s experience 

Lenore moved to NewBridge on the Charles shortly after it opened in 2009. She spent 14 years enjoying independent living before making the move to assisted living. She had been receiving more frequent assistance from aides in independent living and was inspired to transition to assisted living by a friend who had recently done the same.

While she was apprehensive about leaving her friends from independent living behind and not knowing what programming was available in assisted living, she found that the schedule was robust and often open to residents from both settings. She also appreciates the added help from aides each day, as well as the weekly housekeeping.

For anyone considering the move, Lenore’s advice is: “If you feel ready, that’s the first step. The advantages to moving are many. Everyone here is quite pleasant, and it’s just nice to have a little extra care.” 

A daughter’s perspective

Jennifer, whose father Bob is a NewBridge resident, knows firsthand what it’s like to help a parent transition through different levels of care. (Jennifer and Bob’s names have been changed for privacy.) Bob lived in independent living for five years before shifting to traditional assisted living and, most recently, memory care assisted living. 

“I always thought that if we got to a point where my dad needed help, I would hire private assistance. That was really because of my own stigma that I had placed on assisted living,” she explains. After many conversations where she had to grapple with her feelings about her father’s care needs, she came to understand that assisted living made a lot of sense. Bob agreed.

“I realized that assisted living is an independent community. The idea is that residents in assisted living are as independent as they can possibly be, and they are encouraged to live an independent life, but they have assistance when needed,” says Jennifer. Bob eats more regularly than he did in independent living, thanks to the daily three meals provided in memory care assisted living, and is more socially connected than he was before. 

Discover Hebrew SeniorLife’s continuing care retirement communities 

Life at NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham, MA, and Orchard Cove in Canton, MA, offers both independence and peace of mind. Residents enjoy vibrant, welcoming communities with a full continuum of care. Whether you need independent living, assisted living, enhanced living, or skilled nursing care, we make it possible to live in a safe, purposeful, and independent environment.

Our team is here to answer your questions and guide you through every step of your decision-making process. Contact NewBridge on the Charles or Orchard Cove for more information today!