# Decisions - Where to live -  the CCRC option



## Tom Young (Sep 9, 2013)

Home is where the heart is.  Or, a place that you can afford.

Re: Over seas... A Canadian couple from our FL community, visited their son in Guatamala some years ago... He was there for diplomatic or buiness reasons.  My friends, who were heretofore content in Canada decided that they could retire in luxury in a Guatamalan American enclave... for about $15000/yr.  Lovely people living there, retired with meagre resources, but living like kings.   
They sold their restaurant, their home and most belongings and made the move.  A house boy, maids, very low cost living... parties (in the enclave),nice weather, and seemingly good financial and physical security.  Their first letters spoke of Shangi-La.  Eight months later, they returned to Canada.  Couldn't live with the lack of culture, limited exposure to a wider world, and the loss of feeling of "belonging". Lesson learned.  But then I suppose it depends on the individual.
Brother and Sister in law left the US and became Canadian Landed Immigrants, opening a business in Price Edward Island, and then expanding it to Cuba... where their children now live and run the business. 

From our (DW and I)* perspective, the "where we  live" has changed with age.  Our 22 full household moves, with 4 kids, has given us a degree of exposure within the US...(and for me a delightful royal visit to Japan).  We've lived in Rhode Island, Maine (for College), New Hampshire, Massachusetts (6 different towns including 3 years on Martha's Vineyard and Falmouth), Vermont, Upper NY State (w/business trips to NYC), Georgia, Texas, and now Illinois and Florida.  World travelers? No, but enough experience in the US to know that we are content in both current locations.  

Florida... where we now spend 6 months.  I hope to come back in another thread to explain a litle bit more about Florida and Retirement.  We love it, but... it's not forever. As the physical body slows, the rapid pace of having fun eventually gives way to appreciating more freedom time, and less of the social whirl.

Our Nirvana has and is changing, as we get nearer to age 80, and that Continuing Care Retirement Community that seems so anathema to many, gives way to the realization that stairs, multiple rooms, acres of land, and broad vistas, are not as important as "senior ready" wide doorways, higher commodes, levered foor handles, bigger showers and tubs, extra handholds, no theresholds or steps, waist high electrical plugs, soft carpeting, slide out drawer kitchen and bathroom cabinets, HOA provided lawn, shrubbery and snow maintenance... all of these things... are a good substitute for the old homestead.   In addition,  living in a small semi-rural town means every facility and business is within a mile and a half, while beyond that, corn and soybean country and rural roads.  Yea!

CCRC for us starts with the  65 Villas... 1600sf freestanding, stick built house... that we live in today.  The rest of the community consists of:
1. A high rise (3 story) apartment building of 65 units... with a single monthly fee that includes... a 2BR, 2BA apartment, two meals a day in the elegant dining room, free transportation to shopping, planned eating out and entertainment, as well as free transportation to Doctors and Hospitals... it includes all utilities sewer, water hear, electricity, trash removal, Cable TV and Internet access, and light housekeeping once a week.  Only extra cost would be telephone. Cost?... in this area, a lot less than you'd guess.

2. A mechanized fitness center (free) with keycard planned regimens... where the machines record your progress and plan extended fitness courses, direct you to the next exercise and warn with pulsometers of over doing it.

3. A bounce-Back center... with therapists... for recovery from falls, operations etc.  

4.  A 45 unit Assisted Living Center...

5.  A 65 unit fully accredited Nursing Home, with a special Alzheimer unit attached. 

Back to the "culture shock".  While we're still a little young for all of the medical stuff, one of our objectives for moving into the complex early, was to establish social contacts, and a social life.  Too often we see older men and women coming into the CCRC, with limited mobility, eventually becoming somewhat isolated, and often depressed.  The people of our current community are still socially active, and we expect, as they lose spouses or become physically impaired, they will move to one of the other facilities... and keep the friends and neighbors that they have cultivated. 

By the time we go to the apartments, we'll be ready to shuck off those "little worries", like the $20K roof, the $700 HWH replacement, or a balky refrigerator washer, dryer or dishwasher.  No more concerns about exterior decorating, landscaping, or even things like a broken auto transmission.  In the earlier days, we loved the challenges, remodelling, buying new "stuff"... now, not so much. 

Oh... and I didn't mention security... built in pull chains throughout the homes or apartments... in every room, to connect to 24 hour help.  Also, in most of the other 19 complexes (same owner) through out Illinois, Iowa and Nevada, gated communities... Ours isn't but it's in a well protected "better" part of town. No incidents in the past nine years except for a few reports of door to door evangelists... since fixed. 

So, different strokes for different folks... If I get bored, I drive up to our camp on the lake... 25 miles, and canoe, bike ride, feed my aviary of 35 different bird species, and sometimes take a dip at the beach, or in one of two olympic sized pools.  We'll eventually give that up, and use some of the proceeds to fund the next 10 or 15 years. 

BTW... nothing is cast in stone... there's still a possibility for Florida, but we kinda like changing season. 

Not for everyone, certainly... We know of many friends who honestly hope to spend their later days on the farm... to eventually happily exit while driving their John Deere.  We respect that, and know what we do isn't for everyone, but thought you might get a better picture of one kind of Continuous Care Community.

Note * 0ff-topic... Acronyms... Haven't been here long enough to know how much acronyms are being used... Other forums that I've been on seem to use hundreds... So, DW = Dear Wife, BIL, Brother -in law etc... Also... financial terms... Yikes... at least 1000+.


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## Tom Young (Dec 13, 2017)

Four years later... 
It wasn't a mistake.... Still here and very happy.  Now in our 82nd year.  
We didn't go back to Florida, but still use our Woodhaven Lakes Campground home two ir three days a week in the summer and fall. 
Have sowed down some, but one of the often unseen positives is that we've integrated into our community.  Many friends, much to do, but with plenty of time to indulge in the many hobbies and interests that we didn't have time for when life was moving along in the fast lane. 

Tom...


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 13, 2017)

Sounds like you're doing very well Tom, thanks for the update!


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## terry123 (Dec 13, 2017)

Great plan, Tom.


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## Myquest55 (Dec 15, 2017)

Tom, that was a terrific original post of your thought process and decision making for retirement living!  My father has been in a CCRC for the past 11 years - he & my step-mother moved in just after his 82nd birthday.  He has told me that all of his friends (and he knows everybody!) have said they wished they moved in sooner - and just for the reason you gave - for social community and support.  He is in an Erikson community at the Del/PA border and it is like living on a cruise ship!  (my step-mother passed away earlier this year) I have heard that it is harder to get in if you need care BUT once you are there, you have easy access to care functions.  I can see the need for making the transition while you are still active enough to get involved and I suppose it is easier for those of us who have moved around a lot during their working lives.  It is hard for me to understand the need to stay in a house that requires constant help to get around.  

My husband is in the process of going on Disability.  He is just 61 but we took the opportunity to move to Maine and purchased a house in a small village just outside of Portland.  We scoped out the medical ahead of time and there are several specialists here that we didn't have in TN.  We have our eye on a beautiful CCRC, just north of the city, and hope to make that move in about 10 years.  We moved close to that so we could establish our medical, dental, etc. and not have to change them all when we move again.  Hopefully it will all work out.


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## Getyoung (Dec 16, 2017)

Tom, so pleased that everything has worked out so well for you!


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## OneEyedDiva (Jan 18, 2018)

How nice that you are still happy with your living arrangement.:coolthumb:


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