Choosing a Continuing Care Retirement Community, also referred to as a CCRC or life plan community, is a major decision and one that is unlike any other choice you have made before. Ultimately, it is a decision that impacts your lifestyle, finances, housing, and health care. That is why it is important to make an informed decision; one that can help secure your future, regardless of unforeseen health situations. As you weigh your options, here are some things to consider:

Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress.  – Charles F. Kettering, inventor, engineer, and businessman 

Roughly half of Americans admit to usually making some kind of New Year’s resolution. Yet despite their good intentions for self-improvement, only about 8 percent of people are successful in achieving their resolution, according to statisticbrain.com, often because they set a goal that is simply too lofty.

Continuing care retirement communities are a popular retirement living choice among older adults who live fully, or mostly, independently today but desire to live in a setting whereby long-term care services are available if needed in the future. Choosing the right community is an important often complex decision process. Here are four key aspects of the decision process:

What is your attitude about the aging process? Do you view it as a positive rite of passage or a negative phenomenon that must simply be endured? Ageism is a hot topic today and a societal issue that some say is becoming more endemic than even sexism or racism.

The World Values Survey (WVS), which is an ongoing research project conducted by social scientists around the globe, asked over 83,000 people of all age groups in 57 countries about their feelings on aging. The data found that 60 percent of survey respondents said that they don’t think older people are respected. Interestingly, the lowest levels of respect for older generations were reported in higher income countries.

The average lifespan of an American is 78.8 years, with women typically living to around 81 and men making it to 76. It’s the highest this statistic has ever been in our country…a testament to modern medicine and our nation’s overall prosperity. While these numbers are probably considered a ripe old age to most people, it bears noting that women in Japan have the world’s longest average life expectancy at 87 years. The Japanese people doesn’t have better medical care or greater wealth than we do, so why are they outliving us?

If you or a loved one is considering senior living options, you likely have begun doing research on retirement communities. With all of the differing communities, it can be a lot to take in so the decision process can take some time. Once you home in on a few specific places that meet your criteria, you may want to consider getting your name on their waiting lists.

When making a decision about moving to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, also called a life plan community), there are a lot of different factors to consider. It's certainly vital to understand the financial implications and contract details, but there’s something else just as (or maybe even more) important to consider, and you won’t find all the answers in a brochure.

You might have begun discussing and considering a move to a continuing care retirement community in the near future. There’s no doubt that it’s a big decision to make, but many people feel a great sense of relief once the choice is made. When you live in a CCRC, all of your needs along the continuum of care will be provided in one location, and for most CCRC residents, there is comfort and security in knowing that.

Top 5 tips for prepping your home

Do you wear a fitness tracker? If so, you might be one of more than 2.7 million active older people who are achieving 7,500 steps or more. 

New findings from the Pew Research Center show that older people are more likely to use a wearable fitness monitor such as those made by Fitbit, Garmin, Motiv and other manufacturers. These bracelets and clip-on devices are increasingly popular with older folks.

You’re ready to take the next step in your life and move from your house to a continuing care retirement community (also called life plan community). You’ve started investigating nearby communities that provide retirement living, and you’ve asked the obvious questions, but you wonder if there are other questions you should be asking.