Activities at a CCRC

Many continuing care retirement / life plan communities offer a benefit that is not mentioned explicitly on their websites but could be a source of comfort to prospective residents: activities that can involve residents from more than one level of care. As Brookdale Westlake Village Director of Resident Programs Julie Mooney explains, although each segment of Westlake Village has its own activities calendar, that doesn’t mean that a former independent living resident now in assisted living can’t continue to participate in independent living activities with the friends that he or she already has made. Older adults making the big decision to move — and undertaking all of the little actions that come with it — might find it reassuring to know that they might have one less major readjustment to make in the future and that a community has programs in place to meet not only needs related to their physical health but also needs related to their social and mental health. Here are some of the activities that took place during the time that Senior Editor Lois A. Bowers visited the community at the invitation of the American Seniors Housing Association’s Where You Live Matters campaign.