As older adults ponder various senior living options, it can be helpful to understand an important piece of legislation that affects many 55+ communities: the Housing for Older Persons Act (HOPA) of 1995. This law was created to protect age-restricted retirement communities that are designed specifically for older adults while maintaining certain standards of fairness [...]
There are a lot of different types of over 55 communities — so many that it can be confusing to keep them all straight! More specifically, the nuances between a senior apartment, independent living with services, and independent living plus can be a bit unclear at first glance. Let’s take a closer look at how [...]
Among the many senior living options available in today’s marketplace is the “active adult community.” But what exactly does this term mean, and what distinguishes an active adult community from other senior living options? Here are answers to some of the questions people commonly have about this particular type of community. Q: What is an [...]
For some people, one of the attractive aspects of moving to a senior living community, such as a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, or life plan community) is the opportunity to live among people who are at a similar place in life. This, of course, isn’t to say that diversity among neighbors isn’t appealing or [...]
As you are exploring your senior living options, you may have looked at what is referred to as an “active adult community.” These are 55 and over “age-restricted” or “age-qualified” communities, typically meaning that someone in the residence must be at least 55 years old. What defines an active adult community? Active adult communities aren’t [...]
Humans are susceptible to a phenomenon called sequential contrast effects, meaning that your feelings about something depend on what you saw just prior. It’s a logic fallacy that can impact the decisions you make in life, including which CCRC or other retirement facility you select. And for CCRC management, it’s important to understand how the order in which prospects visit facilities influences their final choice.
As you are looking at the side-by-side costs of retirement communities, you must ensure you are making an apples-to-apples comparison about what services are and are not included in the pricing so that you may draw a fully informed conclusion about which senior living option is right for you.
