Mythbusting: “CCRCs are filled with old people who are sick and dying.”

This is our final post covering Age Wave’s Five Myths & Realities of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). This myth is a bit more somber than some of the others, but it is equally important to talk about. The myth is “CCRCs are filled with old people who are sick and dying.”

The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. There are people of every health stage in any community, whether it is a neighborhood, a town, a CCRC, a city, or a state. However, when you live in a senior living or continuing care retirement community, there are opportunities and options for people who need more care, whether on a short-term or a long-term basis. Many communities offer assisted living services and higher levels of care, including skilled nursing services and memory care. Many residents, however, live in the “independent living” areas of the community, and are still extremely active like me.

I live in a senior living community, and while living here, in addition to my activities at the senior living community, I write for the company I founded, I attend board meetings, all-staff meetings, have working lunches, and provide my input on the business. Would I be able to do all of that if I were sick and dying? I don’t think so.

I’m also not the outlier in this scenario. I have great friends who live in the same community as I do, who are bright, vivacious, and very much living life to the fullest. Some of the residents still go to work!

We interviewed residents of other retirement communities throughout the United States to talk about this myth and you’d be surprised at some of their responses. Moving to a senior living community actually helped one woman overcome some prejudices!

“The beginning was a little shock to me, but then I realized that behind the walker or scooter is a viable, intelligent, fun-to-be-with person, and it helped me overcome my prejudices about aging and people having problems,” said Letty Caplan, Whitney Center resident. “I found Whitney Center to be a very positive experience.”

Ed Coates, a resident of Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, said, “We have found that there is more interesting things to do with more people available where we’re living now in retirement.”

“The people that are older are so active here, that I don’t notice it,” said Bill Leach, Lakeview Village resident. “They’re so active, age isn’t a factor.”

Another Lakeview Village resident, Ken Smith, said, “One of the things I look forward to every day is dinner, where we can talk about what they did, what I did, and how I’m feeling now. It really does what I wanted in my life- to give me a feeling that my life isn’t dwindling down. It’s amazing how much the people at Lakeview Village get involved with volunteer causes and such.”

If you still aren’t convinced, take a visit to a local CCRC. Take a look at their event calendar—you’ll find museum trips, brewery tours, fashion shows, educational sessions, travel discussions, music lessons, art galleries, yoga, Pilates, exercise classes, conferences and more! These events are designed for the variety of dynamic, energetic residents who reside in senior living or continuing care retirement communities.