Annual CCRC Summer Summit

If you are a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in New York, you are part of a small, but important sector of our senior care services providers. While the CCRC model has proliferated across the country, the number of CCRCs in New York remains at just a handful. The regulatory and legal hurdles that must be overcome to start and operate a CCRC in New York are among the factors limiting growth in the number of communities.

It is part housing, it is part health care and it is part insurance, with a variety of models operating in different states. A report, sponsored in part by LeadingAge national, Today’s Continuing Care Retirement Community, defines the CCRC as a "residential alternative for older adults (usually age 65 and older) that provides flexible housing options, a coordinated system of services and amenities, and a continuum of care that addresses the varying health and wellness needs of residents as they grow older. The emphasis of the CCRC model is to enable residents to avoid having to move—except, perhaps, to another level of care within the community—if their needs change and they require health care and supervision."

This same report goes on to describe a typical CCRC as including: “apartment or cottage living units (independent living), assisted living units, and skilled nursing care in a campus-style setting. Residents have lifetime access to the community’s continuum of care. Typically, all of the living options (independent living, assisted living, and nursing) of the CCRC are on a single campus. As care and services for older adults continue to evolve, CCRCs have been adding additional components, such as memory support and wellness programs, to their services mix.”

While the CCRC faces many of the same challenges as other housing and health care providers, there are also issues and problems that are unique to this sector. For example, the CCRC has to comply with both Department of Health and Department of Financial Services regulations. 

The 2013 CCRC Summer Summit will take place at the Good Shepherd Communities in Binghamton on Thurs., July 18 and Fri., July 19. The tradition of the Summit started as an informal initiative on the part of members who felt the need to get together and share their experiences. It has since grown and taken on official stature. As in years past, we anticipate some strong educational offerings and a specialized forum to discuss and analyze the critical CCRC issues of the day.

Contact: Patrick Cucinelli, pcucinelli@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8827