The Best Age to Move to a Continuing Care Retirement Community

Many retirees wonder when the right time is to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). While the answer depends on your health, finances and retirement goals, many people find that moving sooner allows them to enjoy the lifestyle, amenities and peace of mind a CCRC offers for longer.

Unlike traditional retirement communities, CCRCs provide independent living and various levels of health services support residents no matter what those needs are, and no matter how those needs may change over time. This has made CCRCs attractive choices for those who want to be fully prepared for whatever may come in the future.

The impact of such an arrangement is groundbreaking.

What is the Best Age to Move to a CCRC?

While the best age ultimately depends on a number of individual factors, the majority of people move into a CCRC between the ages of 75 and 84. However, more older adults are choosing to move in sooner in their mid-60s to early 70s

This age is considered ideal, as it means that healthy, active retirees can fully take advantage of the luxurious amenities offered — the swimming pools and fitness centers and fine dining, the card tournaments and woodworking shops and excursions, and the like.

Think about it: all your friends as neighbors. Social events for every meal. Playing cards or tending the garden instead of mowing the lawn or shoveling the driveway. Spoiling your grandchildren instead of paying property taxes or replacing a water heater. The security of knowing you’re in a gated, protected community. CCRCs that are networks of communities, like Acts Retirement-Life Communities, even give you the option to travel to other campuses around the country.

If your healthcare needs ever change, you don’t have to relocate to a separate assisted living or skilled nursing facility. Residents can remain on the same campus and take advantage of the benefits of a CCRC’s exceptional healthcare capabilities. Depending on the type of contract selected at move-in, this may not even result in increased living fees.

Related content: Learn about the various contract types available at a CCRC.

Typical Age Range for Moving into a CCRC

Because of a CCRC’s ability to provide world-class health services to its residents, the age range for those residents can be quite varied. Many CCRCs have residents as young as their early 60s who simply want to enjoy all that a luxury retirement community has to offer, and as old as those well over one hundred.

That said, most older adults tend to wait a few years after they retire before moving to a CCRC. It’s more common to see retirees move to a CCRC after reaching their early to mid-70s, as this is often when many of us tire of maintaining our own property and look for the convenience of retirement community living, where lawncare and home maintenance are handled for us and every night offers a new event on the schedule.

It’s also when we start admitting that our health may not always be perfect and the insurance policy of guaranteed care may be a good thing.

Benefits of Moving to a CCRC

World-class CCRCs like those operated by Acts come with many benefits including nearly unlimited activities and amenities.

Here are just some of what you can look forward to:

• Stay physically active with indoor or outdoor pools, access golf courses or putting greens, and fully-equipped fitness centers where you can take classes with physical trainers.
• Enjoy your choice of fine or casual dining right on the luxurious, resort-like campus, with food prepared by professional chefs.
• Never worry about home maintenance and lawn care, as CCRC staff take care of all those details to keep your surroundings beautifully landscaped and trimmed and your home in perfect working order.
• Get everyday tasks done at facilities like on-campus banking and beauty salons so that you don’t have to waste time that you could be spending enjoying life.
• Embrace and explore your spirituality at on-campus non-denominational chapels and benefit from the guidance of a full-time chaplain.
• Schedule day and overnight trips to local shopping centers, museums, concerts, and other cultural events as well as doctor appointments and other needs.

 And this is still just the tip of the iceberg!

Why Move to a CCRC Sooner?

While there is no “bad” time to move to a CCRC, many retirees find significant advantages in making the move sooner rather than later. Moving to a CCRC while you're still active and independent allows you to take full advantage of the lifestyle, amenities and social opportunities available, while also establishing a plan for your future healthcare needs.

Many residents say they wish they had made the move sooner so they could have enjoyed these benefits for longer.

Healthcare Benefits

Even more noteworthy are the healthcare benefits of a CCRC. Moving to one of these communities at any time during your retirement offers an incredible amount of peace of mind as you never have to worry about not having access to a higher level of care if you find you might need it one day. Instead, you can rest easy that you’ll be covered should that day ever come. Until then, you can simply enjoy your retirement to its fullest, knowing exactly what you’ll need to budget for to make your retirement last, with no surprises. 

Greater Financial Predictability

Believe it or not, despite offering all the tremendous benefits mentioned here, moving to a CCRC is often the most cost-effective housing option as well.

The costs of healthcare are constantly on the rise. As such, we always wonder what we’ll need and when, and whether it will be covered by Medicare or any of our insurance supplements.

Moving to a CCRC removes that fear. Depending on the contract, you can “lock in” the amount you pay for your healthcare at the time of move-in, meaning besides possible cost of inflation increases to your living expenses, your monthly budget for healthcare won’t change for however long you live at the CCRC.

Couple that with no longer having to pay for maintenance and upkeep on your own residential property as well as ever increasing property taxes, plus other expenses like gym memberships and dinner, and that’s savings and security you can take to the bank.

Many residents sell their homes, use some of the profits to move into a CCRC, and then keep the rest in their nest egg.

Find a CCRC Near You

Ultimately, the best age to move into a CCRC depends on you and your family’s situation. Either way, CCRCs have become popular retirement destinations for a reason, thanks to their resort-like amenities and their ability to provide older adults with robust, affordable healthcare.

Does a continuing care retirement community sound like a great place to live? Find an Acts CCRC near you to learn more!