What Is a CCRC?

CCRC stands for continuing care retirement community -- a single campus that offers multiple levels of care, typically independent living, assisted living, memory care, and often skilled nursing, all in one place. The appeal is that a resident can move into independent living while healthy and transition to higher levels of care later without changing addresses or losing an established community of neighbors and staff. CCRCs typically require a substantial upfront entrance fee in addition to ongoing monthly fees, which is different from the pay-as-you-go structure of a standalone assisted living community. The Columbus area has several well-known CCRCs, including Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber, Wesley Glen, and Friendship Village of Dublin. See our full CCRC vs. standalone assisted living comparison for the financial tradeoffs.