Chicago Continuing Care Retirement Communities

We can help you identify the best Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) for your senior loved one in the Chicago area, including Cook, Du Page, Lake, and Will Counties of Illinois. A Continuing Care Retirement Community is a senior living community that offers three levels of elder care on one campus. The first level is independent living where the senior can function on their own, but may need some help with housekeeping and meal preparation. The second level, assisted living, offers the senior some assistance with their activities of daily living including bathing, dressing, eating, walking, transferring, and toileting. The amount of assistance your loved one receives will vary from community to community. The third level, skilled nursing, is designed for seniors who have medical conditions that require the presence of a nurse on a 24 hour basis and total assistance with most of their activities of daily living. Many CCRCs offer a memory support unit in either their assisted living or nursing home areas or both. The advantage of living at this sort of community is that the senior can change to a higher level of care without having to move to another community.

There are actually three types of Continuing Care Retirement Community contracts:

Type A – The senior pays and entrance fee in order to become a member of the community. The entrance fee is used to insure the future health care costs of the seniors who live there. They also pay a monthly fee that covers food, housekeeping, and maintenance. A Type A contract is also referred to as a “true Life Care” contract meaning that if the senior is admitted on the independent level and is healthy, the monthly fee will not change if s/he moves to a higher level of care. In other words, the monthly fee remains the same, whether the senior moves from independent living to assisted living, or from independent living to the skilled nursing area.

Type B – The senior pays an entrance fee and a monthly fee when s/he is admitted. However, if the senior moves from independent living to assisted living or skilled nursing, the fee will increase according to the level of care. Type B is often referred to as a “hybrid contract” because it offers the senior a certain number of free days in the assisted living or nursing home. The number of free days is normally 30 to 90 but will vary according to each community.

Type C – The senior doesn’t pay an entrance fee at the community. This is simply a rental contract where the senior pays a fee for services according to the level of care s/he is receiving. There are a number of these communities in Illinois.

Please contact our Chicago Continuing Care Retirement Community specialists to help you identify the right option for your senior loved one. Call us at (847) 934-5303, or email us at andrea_donovansla@yahoo.com. Mention Web Code “Chicago Senior Living” to receive a discount on our Chicago Continuing Care Retirement Community consulting services!

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