Moved into CCRC today

[harllee]

Op here--Not sure what all this assisted living stuff is about but I do know that at my CCRC in the 4 years since we have had Covid only one person in my entire CCRC has died of Covid. A pretty good stat I think.

 

[Aerides]

Op here--Not sure what all this assisted living stuff is about but I do know that at my CCRC in the 4 years since we have had Covid only one person in my entire CCRC has died of Covid. A pretty good stat I think.

Agree, perhaps those that wish to discuss AL issues should start a new thread? This one is focused on Harllee's CCRC experience.

 

[Koolau]

Op here--Not sure what all this assisted living stuff is about but I do know that at my CCRC in the 4 years since we have had Covid only one person in my entire CCRC has died of Covid. A pretty good stat I think.

That's actually pretty amazing IMHO. Sounds like they know what they are doing.

 

[teej1985]

I'd never been to a 100th party before moving to the Islands. Here's it's not that uncommon for folks to live to 100 - even men! Not planning on it myself, but you never know.

Even in Honolulu? I saw some places with walk scores in the 90s.

 

[Sunset]

Op here--Not sure what all this assisted living stuff is about but I do know that at my CCRC in the 4 years since we have had Covid only one person in my entire CCRC has died of Covid. A pretty good stat I think.

That is a good stat.

Unless of course it's a manipulated/interpreted count.

For example if it counts a person who lived there and then died of covid in or outside of the CCRC (as in hospital) then it's a great stat.

If they only count bodies that actually die in the CCRC , and not folks who go to hospital due to covid symtoms and later die in hospital, then it's not such a great stat.

 

[harllee]

That is a good stat.

Unless of course it's a manipulated/interpreted count.

For example if it counts a person who lived there and then died of covid in or outside of the CCRC (as in hospital) then it's a great stat.

If they only count bodies that actually die in the CCRC , and not folks who go to hospital due to covid symtoms and later die in hospital, then it's not such a great stat.

I was told of all deaths of anyone who was a resident of the CCRC in the last 4 years (including those who died in hospital or hospice) only one was caused by Covid. Residents here talk about what a great job the CCRC did with Covid all the time. And they say that the person who died from Covid had visited family and came back to the CCRC with Covid they had caught from a family member. That person eventually died in a hospital.

 

[harllee]

Update--things are still going great here at our CCRC. Meeting many nice people, some of whom have now become good friends. Food is great, we are enjoying activities. There is a bus taking us to the basketball games to watch our beloved Tar Heels, drops us off right in front of the stadium. We are going to the fitness center 5 days a week taking classes and I feel like I am in the best shape ever.

We had the Winter Gala last weekend --a formal dinner dance with big dance band that we really enjoyed. There was a silent auction and all money raised goes to the Benevolent Fund which pays for fees for residents who have run out of money. I think about $200,000 was raised at the Gala for the fund this year (they do it every year). We love to dress up and dance so we had a great time at the Gala. We are very good dancers, now we are getting to be known as the dancing couple.

Next week DH has his second knee replacement--he had the left knee done 3 years ago and now he is having the right knee done. The knee has been giving him trouble, it is bone on bone and he does not want to give up dancing, hiking, golf, etc. The plan is for him to spend a couple nights in the hospital and then go the short term rehab here at the CCRC for a week or so . We have recently toured the rehab wing--it is right here in the building, has its own physical therapists and fitness room, looks like it will be ideal. He has already been doing pre-surgery PT so he feels ready. I will report back.

 

[MarieIG]

Sounds great Harlee. Thanks for the update. Best wishes for your DH's speedy and complete recovery.

 

[Koolau]

I'm very happy for you, harllee. Hoping for great results for your DH's knee replacement. Keep us posted with more good stories.

 

[harllee]

Update--DH had knee replacement surgery on 3/5, all went well with the surgery. He spent 2 nights in the hospital. The CCRC sent a wheelchair van to pick him up from the hospital and he went to the short term rehab facility at the CCRC. It has been great, just what he needed. Caring staff, good food, PT twice a day. His pain is lessening and he is walking pretty well with a walker. Yesterday the physical therapist brought him to our apartment in a wheelchair and assessed whether DH could use his walker to get around apartment --bathroom, bed, sitting chair dining chair, etc. He was able to function OK in our apartment and will be released back to the apartment tomorrow.

My only concern is that he got such good treatment in rehab (checking on him frequently, bringing him ice cream, etc) that it will be a big let down when he gets to our apartment and I tell him to get his own ice cream.

 

[ivinsfan]

Its wonderful to hear this is working out for the both of you. I know how hard the Covid era was for your personally between worry for your DH and your DM. You just sound so relaxed and happy now and it's great.

 

[maestro]

Update--DH had knee replacement surgery on 3/5, all went well with the surgery.

My only concern is that he got such good treatment in rehab (checking on him frequently, bringing him ice cream, etc) that it will be a big let down when he gets to our apartment and I tell him to get his own ice cream.

Glad to hear all went well with surgery, however the rehab team is not helping your cause with the ice cream deliveries. Don't they realize the consequences of their actions, once one is returned to 'normal' life?!? Best of luck to good recovery.

 

[Jerry1]

My only concern is that he got such good treatment in rehab (checking on him frequently, bringing him ice cream, etc) that it will be a big let down when he gets to our apartment and I tell him to get his own ice cream.

LOL. Glad everything is going well.

 

[pacergal]

Great update, harllee, glad your husband is doing well.

 

[Koolau]

Update--DH had knee replacement surgery on 3/5, all went well with the surgery. He spent 2 nights in the hospital. The CCRC sent a wheelchair van to pick him up from the hospital and he went to the short term rehab facility at the CCRC. It has been great, just what he needed. Caring staff, good food, PT twice a day. His pain is lessening and he is walking pretty well with a walker. Yesterday the physical therapist brought him to our apartment in a wheelchair and assessed whether DH could use his walker to get around apartment --bathroom, bed, sitting chair dining chair, etc. He was able to function OK in our apartment and will be released back to the apartment tomorrow.

My only concern is that he got such good treatment in rehab (checking on him frequently, bringing him ice cream, etc) that it will be a big let down when he gets to our apartment and I tell him to get his own ice cream.

Heh, heh, just tell him that getting his own ice cream is part of his therapy. Thanks for the update on DH and the great CCRC.

 

[harllee]

Heh, heh, just tell him that getting his own ice cream is part of his therapy. Thanks for the update on DH and the great CCRC.

I am doing that--told him getting ice cream is one of his activities of daily living. He can get a Klondike Bar but he cannot figure out how to get a bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup--he is afraid it will spill.

 

[Chuckanut]

A brand spanking new CRCC is going up near me. At the request of a friend I am gathering information about it.

The cost to get in is $500,000 up front. Rent on a one bedroom place is $3100 a month. GASP! It is in a great area of a very desirable city which explains the prices. When a resident loses his/her ability to manage on their own they are transferred to another facility owned by the same company that provides the enhanced level of care.

Are these numbers reasonable? Granted, It is in a great area of a very desirable city which explains the prices. Also the idea of being transferred to another facility has me anxious. Who knows what that will be like?

 

[harllee]

A brand spanking new CRCC is going up near me. At the request of a friend I am gathering information about it.

The cost to get in is $500,000 up front. Rent on a one bedroom place is $3100 a month. GASP! It is in a great area of a very desirable city which explains the prices. When a resident loses his/her ability to manage on their own they are transferred to another facility owned by the same company that provides the enhanced level of care.

Are these numbers reasonable? Granted, It is in a great area of a very desirable city which explains the prices. Also the idea of being transferred to another facility has me anxious. Who knows what that will be like?

The numbers are similar to where I live BUT the CCRC where I am is a Type A Life Care that has all the levels of care in one campus--independent living, rehab, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care. And when you move from independent living to a higher level of care your monthly fee does not increase. The idea of being transferred an another facility does not appeal to me. When DH was in short term rehab after his knee replacement it was great to be an able to walk to see in just on the other side of the building.

 

[braumeister]

Are these numbers reasonable? Granted, It is in a great area of a very desirable city which explains the prices.

Yes, those numbers are reasonable and fairly typical.

What you need to learn is how their pricing model works.

If they have a Type A contract, it's pretty straightforward. For Type B or C contracts, it can get complicated. If you're interested, they can give you a copy of their documentation to examine -- there is normally no reticence to do that.

 

[Dawg52]

$500k upfront? That's not typical where I live thankfully.

 

[harllee]

$500k upfront? That's not typical where I live thankfully.

Mine was around $400,000 for a one bedroom and den here in NC and I chose the no refund option. If I had chosen the option to get a refund to my estate it would have been more. Mine is a type A Life Care with all the bells and whistles included. There are less expensive CCRCs in my area but they are not Type A--they are fee for services and you have to pay extra for most everything.

 

[ncbill]

I've seen over a $1 million (no refund) for a married couple mentioned on another forum.

Hopefully that was for Type A!

Though those depend on the depth of their reserves to meet the Type A commitments.

Grandparents moved into a non-Type A, 2BR/2BA cottage at a local CCRC back in the early 1990s when he was early 80s, she a decade younger.

Both lived well over the next decade for him, then another decade for her.

But that cost them maybe $100,000 for the non-refundable buy-in, with a reasonable monthly fee.

Neither needed much (extra cost) assistance before they died.

 

[Koolau]

Those numbers seem about typical. Frightening - but typical.

 

[harllee]

OP here--things are still going great for us at our CCRC. DH is a little over a month from total knee replacement and his doctor says is is doing very well. He still has a couple of more weeks before he is OK'd to drive so it is very helpful that he can got to rehab right here in our building.

One caution--Don't wait too long to try to get approved by a CCRC. At our CCRC, once you have gotten to the top of the waitlist and have chosen your apartment then you have to pass 3 tests--financial, medical and a memory test. We have 2 sets of friends that got to the approval stage and did not pass one of the tests so they were declined. In one situation the wife could not pass the memory test and in the other situation the husband has some issue in his medical record that caused him to fail. The wait list here is 5 to 10 years , depending on what type of apartment you are interested in. We were on the wait list for 10 years -- we got on the waitlist when were were 62, that worked for us.

 

[Teacher Terry]

$500k upfront? That's not typical where I live thankfully.

My friend went to one that was pay as you go and it worked out better because he unexpectedly died after 7 months. The cost did go up significantly when he moved from independent living to assisted living.