Vol. 21, No. 3
Published Bimonthly
May/June 2016
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
This message will be brief because of the space needed
for the heartening news of NaCCRA’s forward progress
in serving residents. Note a series of articles that document advances in Florida, Washington DC, Arizona, Colorado and Washington State. In all but Arizona where
President Elect Walt Boyer has been at work, I have had
the privilege of being present and working with a team
of your fellow officers on these several fronts. As you
work your way through this historic issue, note the
start up in Washington State, the ground work laid in
Colorado, the Joint Task Group at work with FLiCRA,
the forward looking revisions of Bylaws and the foundational meeting between five from the NaCCRA board
with five members of the LeadingAge board.
We hope to see many of you at NaCCRA’s fall meeting in
conjunction with the LeadingAge annual meeting, October 29-November 2, in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition to the Saturday State Presidents Luncheon and the
NaCCRA board meeting, on Sunday we will have two
outstanding national leaders (see story p. 9) on a panel
“What You Need to Know in Selecting and Living in a
CCRC/Life Plan Community.”
NaCCRA is exploring sponsorPresident’s Column ............................................ 1
ship of a series of
NaCCRA Proposed Bylaws .............................. 1
consumer
foEditorial ................................................................. 2
Millennials Dreaming ........................................ 3
cused webinars
Ask And Share ...................................................... 4
in
partnership
NaCCRA and Its Future ..................................... 5
with
My
LifeSite
LeadingAge Partnership .................................. 6
State Organization Formation ....................... 7
and its president,
Washington State ............................................... 7
Brad Breeding,
Caution: Continuing Care at Home ............... 8
who will be one
NaCCRA’s next Member Meeting .................. 9
Washington & Colorado News ....................... 10
of the panelists
New Members ...................................................... 11
on the Sunday
morning
program pointing out the need for a consumer guide. Stay
tuned for more.
What’s In This Issue
Pictured at the February 18 FLiCRA board meeting are L-R: President Nicholson; FLiCRA (Florida Lifecare Residents) President Pat Arends; and
Local FLiCRA Chapter President Leon Golden
President Nicholson reported to NaCCRA’s Board
after he met with the FLiCRA Board: “The NaCCRA
President brought a message of gratitude for the
pioneering work of FLiCRA, creating the largest
and most effective state affiliate whose vision led
to the creation of NaCCRA itself.”
Now It’s Your Turn: Bylaws Revision
NaCCRA’s Officers, Board, and Committee Members
have been hard at work on your behalf. We’re making
great progress on our national advocacy program, gaining increasing attention for the needs of CCRC residents
including protection of entry fee investments and for
ensuring residents at all levels have a voice in the decisions that govern their lives.
We’ve also been working to strengthen the organization
so that it can be a compelling force in achieving these
benefits for you. Part of that has involved revising our
(Continued on next page)
2
Vol. 21, No. 3
EDITORIAL
The Officers and directors are
embarked on a monumental reorganization and redirection of
NaCCRA. We’re hoping for a
dramatic increase in the number
of individual members. Washington State is an example of the
kind of progress we’re aiming
for. For $20 a year, residents
become members of BOTH the
Washington State association
(which benefits from being a
NaCCRA Chapter). The Illinois Continuing Care Residents Association (ILCCRA), a recently formed state
association, is considering whether to follow the
Washington State model or to act more independently. There have also been discussions with FLiCRA –
the Florida residents’ association – which President
Bob Nicholson visited recently, about how NaCCRA
and FLiCRA can better work together. A new set of
Bylaws has been drafted to reflect the new structure
and to clarify the mission. Members are asked to vote
on the Bylaws and to share their thoughts and comments through the Forum on the NaCCRA website.
12th
The Board Meeting in DC on March
and the General Meeting on March 13th were both vigorous and
encouraging. Katie Sloan, who has succeeded Larry
Minnix as CEO of LeadingAge, joined the March 13th
General Meeting for informal discussion with attending members and Directors. LeadingAge generously
provided meeting rooms in the Marriott Wardman
Park Hotel. Giving substance to the LeadingAge relationship a Joint NaCCRA-LeadingAge Task Group met
to begin to explore common ground. We hope to have
made progress in working together before we meet
in Indianapolis in conjunction with the LeadingAge
Convention. NaCCRA’s meeting will be on October
29th and 30th, with the LeadingAge meeting continuing till November 2nd. We hope to see you there.
Bylaws Revision (continued from page 1)
Bylaws so that NaCCRA can be open to all who share
our mission and support our advocacy. That might include your children and grandchildren, but it can also
include people who have access to policymakers. We
need numbers; we need funding; we need expertise;
and we need you.
The proposed Bylaws focus on individual membership.
State and community affiliations will reflect the number
of individual members they represent. For NaCCRA to
succeed we need to be a powerful alliance of individual
members from across the nation. The proposed Bylaws
also offer membership opportunities to nonresidents
who support the association’s mission and can help advance the living circumstances in CCRCs and among the
elderly. We’ve found that elderly volunteers cannot
alone do what is needed.
We are now asking your support for these changes. The
full proposed Bylaws are exposed for your review on
the www.naccra.com website. To vote, members with
an email address will receive an online ballot link.
Please let Tallahassee (naccra@executiveoffice.org)
know your current email address.
If you do not have Internet capabilities and/or access,
you can write to our Tallahassee office and request a
paper copy of the proposed bylaws changes along with
a paper ballot. Members are to be given at least two
months to record their vote so the polls will remain
open until August 31, 2016 to ensure that everyone
who wishes to vote has a chance to do so. Your Board
strongly recommends a “yes” vote on all of the proposed changes as a package. These changes will help
make NaCCRA the effective advocate for your interests
that you want it to be for now and in the future.
National Continuing Care Residents Association
325 John Knox Rd., Suite L103, Tallahassee, FL 32303
Phone 850-224-0711
NaCCRA promotes, supports, and protects the chosen lifestyle of
Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) residents in the
U.S. NaCCRA is a national organization for CCRC residents. Its
work is conducted primarily by volunteers. Support comes from
dues and gifts.
NaCCRA is classified by the IRS as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) corporation. Donors may deduct contributions as provided in the Federal
Internal Revenue Code.
NaCCRA Officer and Directors
President Bob Nicholson (WA)
Rdern2@gmail.com
President-Elect Walton Boyer (NC)
Walton.Boyer@charter.net
Secretary William Ratcliff (MD)
waratcliff@comcast.net
Treasurer Jack Cumming (CA)
JackCumming@ageact.com
Peter Straub (VA)
PeteStraub9@gmail.com
Rodney Letchworth (FL)
RodLetchworth@hotmail.com
Bob Negele (CT)
RNegele@optonline.net
Jack Snader (IL)
JRSnader@gmail.com
Editor Jean Hurley
jhurleyed@gmail.com
Web Master: Martha Marks …… www.NaCCRA.com
Address comments and article submissions to the Editor at WestminsterCanterbury on Chesapeake Bay
3100 Shore Drive, Apt. 403
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
jhurleyed@gmail.com
3
Vol. 21, No. 3
MILLENNIALS DREAMING
Millennial is a fad term for people born after 1980. Now that’s a
lot of individuals, all with their
own quirks, though social thinkers tend to ascribe stereotypical
characteristics to them. Front
and center is a belief that millennials want a life balance among
work, play, and family. They are
young; they are adventurous; and they are idealistic,
supporting causes they believe in.
Now, I don’t know about you, but that sounds to me a
lot like CCRC residents. And, therein, lies opportunity.
Both Millennials and CCRC residents want a fulfilling
balance in their lives; they want to be engaged; and they
want flexibility. And they like the benefits of congregate
living. Although a majority of Millennials still dream of a
single family home in the suburbs, a surprising number
want the conveniences of urban living – transit, culture,
and dining with friends.
If we put these trends together with today’s senior
housing concepts we can envision the integrated living
development of the future. Picture multifamily living
with some residences tailored for senior living, others
designed for family living, the customary set aside for
affordable living, and amenities including healthcare,
shopping and dining. It might even include a school. In
short an urban re-creation of traditional small town life
with grandparents interacting with family and families
who know each other and care for each other.
We already have some unplanned examples of such integrated inter-generational communal living. Many
Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)
have evolved on just such a model with people staying
in their homes as they age but with municipalities and
others developing communal services to keep them engaged. New York City has led in this movement with the
Morningside
Gardens
program
(see
http://www.mrhsny.org) and the virtual senior center
(http://vscm.selfhelp.net), which allows even the
homebound to connect communally with others in a
wide range of daily activities.
Senior housing developers, however, have been slower
to adopt the model. They are more likely to be guided
by specialized architectural or consulting firms that
specialize in senior housing with thinking restricted by
the inherent limitations in such a concentration. The
conventional wisdom is that the future will be defined
by the baby boomers as their demographic bulge moves
through the older ages. That will be followed by a baby
bust.
The end result will be that senior housing built to accommodate the bulge will be faced later by a market
glut with consequent vacancies. The wise course is to
build inter-generationally with the inherent flexibility
to adapt residential units to respond to developing
market conditions. The intergenerational model won’t
be for everyone. Some people like the elder concentration of today’s CCRC. And regulations and tax laws will
have to be changed to permit mixed age development.
But the flexibility of multiple life stages coexisting on a
single campus offers both market advantages and lifestyle benefits for those who like a more open living experience as they age. That can be one response to the
need for a healthy senior housing industry in the future.
Jack Cumming is NaCCRA’s Research Director
How to Find the Members Forum: We Want to Hear from You
1. Type http://naccra.com into your computer’s web browser.
2. Put your cursor on the Forum link at the top of the page.
3. A menu will drop down. Put your cursor on the second option, Register for the
Forum, and click that link.
4. Follow the directions on that page, and soon you’ll be able to participate in the
discussions.
Martha Marks,
Webmaster
4
Vol. 21, No. 3
Ask and Share
This column is evolving .... some contributors have indicated their enjoyment in reading how
other communities do things. That is gratifying. I thank those who send me topics. However,
the “Asks” and “Shares” are now dwindling in number. This would be a good thing if members are instead utilizing the Forum on NaCCRA’s website, naccra.com. On the Forum
one can post questions in order to get much more timely responses. But I’m not seeing
many posts on the Forum. It’s a great place to share. Please utilize the Forum so that this column can morph to “Best of the Forum” questions and replies.
Also, please contact me at young@jyretired.com or 157 Lakewood Ct, Burlington, NC 27215 if
you’ve submitted something in the past and it has not yet appeared. My filing system is not
foolproof, and perhaps it was an oversight on my part. Reminders welcome!!
Forum topics that might pique your interest:
● What methods for conflict resolution between residents and ownership exist, if any, in your CCRC?
● There are a couple of questions related to entrance fees: one about a refund (lack thereof) to a resident who moved
from Independent Living (IL) into long term health care; another about whether a new, separate entrance fee is required when a resident moves from one IL unit to another IL unit within the same CCRC; for example, from a cottage to an apartment.
Continuing in the “evolution” mode for this “Ask and Share” Life Line column...if space permits, I’ll try to always
pose more than ONE “Ask” ... if I receive the Asks from you. Responses are needed. Perhaps one on the list here might
strike gold in the way of hearing from YOU.
ASKS:
● What does your community utilize for emergency communication to residents – for example, a wireless Public Address System as part of a Disaster Management Program?
● Bake Sales and Garage Sales as fundraisers for Resident Associations have been discussed in this column previously. What other means are being used to add money to Association coffers?
● Does your community permit the payment of monthly fees via credit card?
● If there is a Wait List for an apartment at your community, do on campus cottage residents take priority over
“outsiders” on that list?
● Does your community have a separate “technology charge” for internet and/or TV cable service?
● Do resident volunteer activities “count” towards helping your CCRC maintain its non-profit status? If so, what
are some examples?
● If the residents of a given CCRC are not united on an issue; or, if one speaking out or questioning a policy is
viewed as “anti-administration,” creating dissension among the community’s population, are there strategies anyone can recommend to avoid such dissension?
● What is your community’s policy with respect to sending someone to the ER? Does a staff member accompany or go
to the hospital to check up on the resident? If the resident is not admitted and it’s after hours for the regular CCRC
transportation service, what happens to get the resident back home?
How about the above list for creating some responses? Send them to me at young@jyretired.com or 157 Lakewood Court, Burlington, NC 27215.
And .... use the Forum at naccra.com !!
Jennifer Young moved recently to a North Carolina CCRC; previously she lived in a CCRC in Texas.
5
Vol. 21, No. 3
AN OUTGOING STATE PRESIDENT REFLECTS ON NaCCRA AND ITS FUTURE
Now that I am stepping down from the presidency of
NaCCRA Washington, I would like to reflect on the future of NaCCRA. I am also motivated by the discussion
among several NaCCRA state presidents during a conference call on January 27, 2016.
Let me begin by stating two principles that I believe in:
“Strength in Numbers,” and “Cooperation is better than
Confrontation.”
Applied to NaCCRA, “Strength in Numbers” means that
in order to be effective it must grow its membership
from about 5,000 today to 50,000 in the not too distant
future. Only a sufficiently large organization can be effective on the federal level, influencing legislation, being
heard in Congress. Only a sufficiently large organization
can be an effective partner or an effective adversary visa-vis other organizations Only a sufficiently large organization can help regional affiliates in their advocacy
work.
“Cooperation is better than Confrontation” means that
you generally get further in your endeavors if you cooperate with other stakeholders, even if it means to
compromise at times. It does not mean that you should
give up your beliefs and positions or compromise your
core values. But talking to and working with others often brings important and different points of view into
focus.
To me this all means that NaCCRA must transition from
an umbrella organization for existing or new state organizations to an organization based on individual
members. If NaCCRA can “acquire” the members of
state organizations who are currently not NaCCRA
members, it could grow quite rapidly into an effective
national organization. During the telephone call on January 27, I heard a number of negative comments about
that issue, often centered on “What has NaCCRA done
for us?” and “Our state organization works well for us”
and “We want to control our own membership fees.”
These are valid comments and NaCCRA must address
them in order to proceed in the direction of increased
individual membership. I see four things that need to be
done by the NaCCRA board, provided it is serious about
proceeding on this path:
1. Put in writing a detailed and convincing story of all
that NaCCRA has accomplished that is of benefit to all
residents in senior housing.
2. As part of the same document, present outlines of
what it will attempt to accomplish in the future.
3. Work with each state organization to develop a customized transition path to a membership organization.
In some instances, the agreement between NaCCRA and
NaCCRA Washington may serve as a model.
4. Appoint a new Vice President for Membership to
replace Bob Nicholson to gain new members (and eventually new state affiliates/chapters) in states with no or
little NaCCRA membership.
Turning to “Cooperation” as a theme, I am very much in
favor of the partnership between NaCCRA and LeadingAge. NaCCRA Washington has also started a dialog
with LeadingAge Washington. As NaCCRA grows, it will
become a more equal partner of LeadingAge, and together they might achieve outcomes of interest to both
organizations that neither could achieve alone. But can
NaCCRA do more? How about reaching out to AARP and
other organizations that are working for seniors?
So there is much to be done if NaCCRA is to become a
more effective and stronger organization. One of our
biggest problems of accomplishing more is our individual age. Most of our members are well past retirement
age. Many are disabled or care for a spouse. Some just
want to live out their lives quietly without getting involved with “activism.” Many of us who have been in
leadership positions in CCRCs or NaCCRA, get called
again and again to step forward and do more. I have no
prescription on how to involve new and younger seniors in NaCCRA leadership positions; but we must do
that urgently. Any suggestions on how to accomplish
that effectively? I know that personal contact and persuasion are effective; but I am a bit tired of “twisting
arms.”
NaCCRA has made a good beginning over the first fifteen years of its existence. But in order to grow and to
fully embrace and engage the members in the existing
state organizations, NaCCRA needs to spell out its accomplishments and its plans forcefully and repeatedly.
Hellmut Golde stepped aside recently as President of the
Washington State Residents Association
Did You Know?
Buying a fixed dollar amount of
gasoline instead of just filling up
the tank will save you money over
time. Why? It gives you the same
dollar cost averaging that can improve your yields when you invest.
So next time, say, “$20, please,”
instead of “Fill ‘er up.”
Oh, that was then. Now you have
to do it yourself.
6
Vol. 21, No. 3
First Fruits from LeadingAge Partnership
Over the past year, NaCCRA has encountered differences of opinion about whether a resident organization
should seek to work with providers or should remain
entirely independent. After a long period of uncertainty, the decision was reached during a dramatic Board
teleconference last September to accept the hand of fellowship that LeadingAge, the providers’ organization,
had extended to NaCCRA, representing residents.
The current NaCCRA Board favors persuasion over coercion. The Board is every bit as committed to vigorous
advocacy for resident protections. It’s just that we want
first to try to persuade the providers that a residentcentric industry is as important for provider enterprise
interests as it is for the residents whom they serve.
Some in the industry view any regulation or imposition
of standards as a diminution of their prerogative to run
their businesses however they deem fit. NaCCRA believes that any business that takes funds from customers has a stewardship obligation to seek to give those
customers value and performance.
We need to clarify some misunderstandings concerning
this affiliation. NaCCRA has agreed to work in partnership with LeadingAge when we are able to find common
ground. We can benefit from cooperation in advocating
on matters of mutual interest. CCRC residents are customers of LeadingAge member organizations and
members of NaCCRA. Both organizations are committed, therefore, to serving the end user.
Given the shared beneficiary for our efforts we should
be able to work together cooperatively more often than
not. Still, NaCCRA is fully committed to promoting the
best interests of its members and will not subordinate
its advocacy or mission to any other interest group. We
have agreed that such a partnership of mutual service does not require a written contract. That’s a big
first step. We are continuing to work with LeadingAge
to refine how we might best work together.
Now our newly strengthened relationship with the providers’ organization is beginning to bring results. On
March 14th a NaCCRA delegation met with a providers’
delegation. The providers have committed their top
leadership to this initiative. Terri Cunliffe is the CEO of
Covenant Retirement Communities, a service of a Swedish Lutheran denomination, the Evangelical Covenant
Church. Sean Kelly is succeeding John Diffey as CEO of
Kendal Corporation, a large highly regarded developer/operator of CCRCs dedicated to Quaker principles.
Sean Kelly (Courtesy Kendal Corp)
Roberta Jacobsen is President of Front Porch Communities and Services, a multi-facility provider organization
concentrated principally in California, and Tom Akins is
the CEO of LeadingAge North Carolina. The NaCCRA
delegation consisted of Bob Nicholson and Walt Boyer,
by virtue of their offices, plus Jack Snader of Illinois and
Jack Cumming of California. Steve Maag for LeadingAge
and Bennett Napier for NaCCRA are providing administrative support.
The initial meeting was without formal agenda to allow
the participants a chance to get to know each other.
The discussion was free, open and very candid. It’s
clear that change is coming both to providers and to
residents as a new generation of residents who expect
more active involvement and strong regulation enters
senior housing. The consensus was that no formal written agreement was needed since we could simply
evince cooperation and mutuality through our conduct,
good will, and common actions. One NaCCRA officer
expressed disagreement, believing that a written contract would be desirable.
Among the topics touched on was the challenge of national healthcare policy and the requirement that elderly people impoverish themselves before they are eligible for permanent long term care support. There was
agreement that it is unjust for Medicare to deny benefits to participants merely because hospital days are
classed as observation rather than inpatient. Both organizations are committed to righting this injustice. We
also touched on the lack of guarantees and financial security for resident entry fees. There was a particularly
robust and engaged discussion of tax exempt organizations as opposed to tax paying senior housing enterprises. That the group was able to be open about these
controversial matters reflected the high caliber of the
provider participants in the discussions.
The success of the meeting was evident in the camaraderie between resident representatives and provider
executives that was apparent as the meeting broke up.
7
STATE ORGANIZATION FORMATION
Under President Bob Nicholson’s leadership, NaCCRA
has experienced a wave of new state organization formation not seen since NaCCRA originated during the
late 1990s. Most notable has been the emergence of an
active, productive resident organization in Bob’s home
state of Washington. The Washington group has already
moved a CCRC oversight bill through both houses of the
legislature. The bill was signed into law by the Governor in a public ceremony on April 1, 2016. The Washington State group has entered into a dues sharing arrangement with NaCCRA which allows Washington
State residents to become members of both the state
organization and NaCCRA for a single dues payment of
$20 a year.
The Illinois Continuing Care Residents Association is in
relationship with NaCCRA and is building its membership across CCRCs as a base for putting forward a legislative agenda at the state capital in Springfield. President Dave Curtis has been very active in discussions
with NaCCRA, and founder Jack Snader is a member of
NaCCRA’s Board.
Vol. 21, No. 3
Notably, as a direct outgrowth of NaCCRA’s meeting in
Washington, DC, a regional organization is emerging in
the Washington metropolitan area, which will bring
together residents from DC, notably Ingleside at Rock
Creek, with suburban CCRCs which are represented
through either the Maryland Continuing Care Residents
Association, led by Bill Ratcliff, or the Virginia resident
organization,Hell led by Joan Lewis. The concept is for
the organizations to work together to coordinate responses to metropolitan Washington, DC issues.
Washington State Chapter Comes of Age
Seattle, February 4, 2016 -- An historical milestone for
Washington State seniors, and for the National Continuing Care Residents Association (NaCCRA), was reached
on February 4th with the formalization of the relationship between NaCCRA and its Washington State Chapter. The picture below shows the signing of an agreement between NaCCRA’s national office and the Washington State Chapter.
Most recently, NaCCRA President Bob Nicholson was in
Colorado where he met with the LeadingAge Colorado
CEO and senior staff and with the Commissioner of Insurance, the chief regulator for CCRCs in Colorado. Colorado already has relatively strong legal protections for
residents. As an example, refunds must be paid within
180 days after relinquishment of the residential unit (C
R.S. 12-13-105 (2)). Still, residents do not have the
same protections for their entry fee investments as they
have for bank deposits or for insured life annuities,
which are similar.
After his meeting with state officials, Bob met at Frasier
Meadows in Boulder, CO with residents from three
CCRCs in the area. An outgrowth of the visit is a new
determination for these three CCRCs to form the core
for a Colorado State NaCCRA organization. LeadingAge
Colorado has expressed support for resident involvement and the hope is that Executive Directors in other
Colorado CCRCs will help their residents to become involved in a statewide resident organization. As a travel
note, the Denver Airport was unexpectedly closed by
weather, leaving President Nicholson stranded overnight and scrambling to catch an early morning flight
home.
President Elect, Walt Boyer, traveled to Arizona where
there is renewed interest in forming a state organization. At this stage this possibility needs shaping and encouragement and that is the purpose of Boyer’s trip. He
met with two CCRCs in the Phoenix area and there is
also interest from the Splendido CCRC in Tucson.
Pictured: Standing L-R: Donald Bennett, Stephanie Chamberlain ,
Lynn Coulibaly. Signing are Hellmut Golde for the Washington State
Chapter and the Rev. Dr. Robert Nicholson for NaCCRA. (Photo courtesy of Glen and Leslie Holt)
The odyssey that led to this moment began in October
2010 when the Rev. Dr. Robert Nicholson attended a
NaCCRA meeting in Los Angeles. Subsequently, he took
on the responsibility for membership development, and
he planted seeds for a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community) resident organization in Seattle
where he lives. His efforts bore fruit as many residents
were drawn to the new organization, recognizing that
the State of Washington has no specific laws regulating
CCRCs. Reverend Bob is no stranger to membership
building since his career was devoted to church development as a Presbyterian minister.
(Continued on next page)
8
(Continued from preceding page)
Most CCRCs involve a substantial initial investment by
residents in the form of entry fees, sometimes called by
other names like founders’ fees. These investments are
comparable to home investments and often consume
much of the investing resident’s life savings including
any equity they may have in a home. Entry fees seldom
provide any ownership in the CCRC and many residents
do not feel that they have input into the decisions that
govern their lives. While most love the communal lifestyle and the many new friends they meet, they would
like to be consulted when changes are made. Since the
provider organization is most often the owner, there is
no obligation for providers to consult with residents.
These concerns motivated many residents to join with
NaCCRA in forming a new organization to advocate for
residents in Washington State. It’s taken the five years
and more since that October 2010 beginning to achieve
full organizational status. The NaCCRA Washington organization is now fully formed and an effective, functioning advocacy entity pursuing empowerment for
CCRC residents and better provider practices. Reverend
Bob has much of which to be proud.
Most recently, NaCCRA-Washington, has been instrumental in obtaining the introduction before the state
legislature, meeting in Olympia, of a bill that would, for
the first time in the state, regulate CCRCs.
Although many providers believe that their contracts
speak for themselves, and that residents are fully
knowledgeable when they enter into these contracts,
LeadingAge Washington cooperated in moving this bill
into law. Heretofore, Washington State has been one of
the few states in the nation that provide no explicit regulatory protections for CCRC residents and their large
entry fee investments. With this CCRC law, Washington
State joins those advanced states that already provide
state oversight for entry fee financed CCRCs to ensure
that residents receive fair value for the investment that
they are required to make.
An early goal of the developing Chapter was to build a
cooperative relationship with the providers who are
represented by their organization, LeadingAge Washington, led by CEO Deb Murphy. It was apparent that
residents needed their own organization, independent
of the provider organization, to ensure that their investments in entry fees were sound and that their contracts were fairly and fully administered. Residents and
providers are now working together in joint efforts to
make the continuing care model of congregate living a
desirable life choice for older Washingtonians facing
the challenges of aging.
With the historic signing of an Affiliation Agreement,
Vol. 21, No. 3
pictured on preceding page) the Washington State Continuing Care Residents Organization now formally
comes of age as NaCCRA’s first Chapter organization
with revenue sharing. This development avoids the situation in many other states in which residents are
asked to write two membership dues checks, one to the
state organization and a second to the national organization. Many residents have found this confusing.
Not only does the agreement give Washington State residents full membership at both the state and national
level for the one dues payment, but it also strengthens
the advocacy voice of residents both in Olympia, the
Washington State Capitol, and at the national level. To
make these expanded benefits possible, the NaCCRA
newsletter, Life Line, will be electronically distributed
in Washington State, though those who wish to continue to receive a mailed printed copy can do so for a subscription fee to cover out-of-pocket costs.
Special Feature on an Emerging Issue
Continuing Care at Home: A Cautionary Alert
Many traditional nonprofit Continuing Care Retirement
Community (CCRC) organizations are now moving into
the Continuing Care at Home (CCaH) business. You may
have heard that your own CCRC provider is developing
a CCaH program. If so, you should be aware that your
entry fee investment may be at risk and that you should
be vigilant in questioning all the premises of the CCaH
program, especially if they sound too optimistic and too
rewarding.
In its purest form, CCaH acts like a long term care insurance company operating without an insurance company license. Long term care insurance pays for long
term services and support when and as needed. CCaH
does the same. Why does it matter that CCaH programs
operate as unlicensed insurance companies? It matters
because state laws governing licensed insurance companies have been developed over many years to ensure
that they are sustainable and responsible.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners
(NAIC) is an association in which the sole members are
the Insurance Commissioners of the 50 states, the five
major territories, and the District of Columbia. The NAIC allows the state regulators to pool their resources to
provide technical expertise that individual states could
not afford on their own. It lifts insurance regulation
above political pressures to provide well-reasoned,
competent oversight for a critical industry on which
Americans rely.
(continued on next page)
9
(continued from preceding page)
Insurance is a capital-intensive business. In order to
make sure that an insurance company can weather an
unanticipated risk or the inadvertent underpricing of a
line of business, insurance companies are required to
demonstrate minimum capital and technical expertise
before they are granted a license to solicit business
from the public.
Insurance and CCaH are trust enterprises that require
highly sophisticated enterprise risk management. Absent such a commitment to trust and stewardship, insurance might prey upon an unwary public, accepting
funds and then failing to deliver the promised benefits.
Because of the stringent licensing requirements, insurance company failures are rare and, when they do occur, the customers are protected from loss by interstate
guaranty requirements.
That is not the approach that has developed with CCaH.
Some states, such as the Commonwealths of Virginia
and Pennsylvania, have approved CCaH programs without requiring that they be licensed as insurers and
without requiring that they meet the reserving and enterprise risk management prerequisites required of insurers to protect the public.
Vol. 21, No. 3
NaCCRA’s Next General Meeting
Mark your calendar; make your plans.
If you’ve never attended an Annual Conference, you’re
in for a stimulating learning experience. Our Indianapolis meeting will kick off on October 29, 2016 with a
luncheon for State Presidents followed by an open
meeting of NaCCRA’s Board. Sunday opens at 9:30 AM
with a General Membership Meeting, lunch and then the
opening session of the LeadingAge Conference.
The range of educational opportunities during the Conference makes choosing as difficult as a child in a penny
candy store (maybe those stores are an anachronism).
You will return a wiser and more knowledgeable resident better able to work with your provider to improve
life at your home CCRCs.
Here are some highlights. The LeadingAge theme is “Be
the Difference” inspiring providers, CCRC board members, and residents to use their positions to move senior living and senior housing forward into the potential
of the 21st century.
NaCCRA’s General Meeting theme is “What You Need to
Know in Selecting and Living in A CCRC.” We’ve arranged two outstanding panelists to interact with you.
Within a CCRC enterprise, the startup capital to get the
CCaH program off the ground comes principally from
retained earnings gained from fee charges to existing
CCRC residents and from resident entry fees. If the net
worth of the CCRC organization is negative, i.e. if the
book liabilities exceed the assets, as is the case for many
tax exempt CCRCs, then the capital funding is a further
drain on resident fees that have been diverted for corporate purposes.
Brad Breeding, CFP, President and co-founder of
LifeSite Logics™ (http://mylifesite.net), a company that
develops web-based tools and resources designed to
help families and their advisors make better-informed
decisions when considering senior living community,
will be joined by Mag Morelli, CEO and President of
LeadingAge Connecticut, who worked with the Connecticut Continuing Care Residents Association (ConnCCRA)
to get a Resident Bill of Rights enacted into law.
This diversion of fees further erodes a balance sheet
that may already be impaired. These funds should instead be earmarked to provide the benefits promised to
entering residents as an inducement for them to pay
entry fees and move in. This means that a CCaH program potentially places at risk the future expectations
of existing residents who are counting on deferred services if, and as, they become frail and dependent.
You will be benefited by our partnership with LeadingAge. The usual $790 registration fee is waived by
LeadingAge for residents though you will still qualify
for attendance at all sessions, complimentary lunches
each day and entry into the Exhibit Hall with nearly
2,000 vendors (realizing how many suppliers support
the senior housing industry is eye opening in itself).
Note: This is the beginning of a longer article on the subject of Continuing Care at Home programs. The rest of
the article can be found on the Active Aging Advocates
website at http://www.ageact.com/CCaH.pdf. The author, Jack Cumming, an actuary and insurance expert, is
NaCCRA’s Research Director.
The Holiday Inn Express is within a block and a half
from an entrance to the Convention Center at a modest
nightly cost and the Green Go bus runs from Indianapolis airport to the motel for $10.00.
Additional information about the speakers and events
will be available on the website at http://naccra.com.
We hope that you can join us. It’s an experience like no
other for providing insights and understandings into
the CCRC industry today and for the future.
10
Washington State’s First CCRC Oversight
Law Signed by the Governor
The official designation of the new Washington State
CCRC Law is HB 2726-2015-16. The text of the law as
enacted can be found at:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/mobile/BillSummary/Details?n
umber=2726&year=2015
The bill is now law as Chapter 183, 2016 Laws, with an
effective date of July 1, 2017.
“Moving into a retirement community is one of the most
important decisions that seniors make in our state as
we age,” said prime sponsor of the bill, Rep. Brady
Walkinshaw (D-Seattle). “It’s essential that we have
open, transparent access to the costs and fees of these
communities, and the protections under the state’s
Consumer Protection Act for residents.”
“It’s been a privilege working with a broad coalition of
seniors in retirement communities in my district over
the last year to bring this legislation forward,” said Rep.
Walkinshaw.
NaCCRA President Nicholson Presents to
Leaders from Three Colorado CCRCs
Vol. 21, No. 3
dents. Frasier has 16 NaCCRA members, 7 of whom are
Life Members and a community association membership. Bob encouraged more to become individual members as the need is great. Bob referred us to information
of interest to Colorado seniors: Colorado Strategic
Planning
Group
on
Aging:
colorado.gov/pacific/agingstrategy
Colorado Seniors Blue Book:seniorsbluebook.com;
Colorado Senior Lobby:coloradoseniorlobby.org
He also urged residents to remain aware of issues
which will affect our interests. One such topic in Colorado this year is a bill to remove exemption from state
tax on meals served in retirement communities. Another is Governor Hickenlooper’s budget proposal to reduce by 1% Medicaid payment to health providers.
After the morning gathering resident leaders from the
three communities had a luncheon meeting and agreed
to work together and possibly form a Colorado chapter
of NaCCRA. (This Article adapted from Louise Bradley’s
in the FM Mirror).
Note: We thank Bob Nicholson and Al LeBlang for this
account of President Nicholson’s visit to Colorado.
Bob’s son lives in Boulder.
Boulder, CO, March 21, 2016 -- Frasier Meadow residents hosted NaCCRA’s President, Bob Nicholson, on
March 21 along with resident leaders from Good Samaritan, Loveland Village, Loveland and Covenant Village, Westminster. Nicholson stressed that the National
Continuing Care Residents Association represents all of
us who live in retirement communities which promise
to meet our needs now and into the future whatever
our health may become, i.e., to provide continuing
care. His main message was that we must be advocates
of our own cause individually and collectively by joining
locally and nationally with others.
He reported on his visits the preceding Friday in the
offices of LeadingAge Colorado with the President and
CEO Laura Landwirth and with the Commissioner of
Regulatory Agencies, which oversees CCRCs. NaCCRA is
working to recruit more individual memberships in order to strengthen the organization and its ability to be a
strong advocate in legislative efforts to protect resi-
L-R: Bob Nicholson, NaCCRA President; Dick Leupold, President
Frasier Meadows Resident Association; Ben Robison, Covenant Village; Sonie Petersen and Alma Ringdahl, Loveland Village; Norm
Harpole, Covenant Village.
11
Vol. 21, No. 3
WELCOME THESE NEW MEMBERS and FAREWELL
CALIFORNIA
Santa Rosa
Varenna at Fountaingrove
Glenne Harding
WASHINGTON DC
LeadingAge
Katie Smith Sloan, CEO
FLORIDA
Sarasota
Bay Village
Nancy and Jack Sneider
Jacksonville
Cypress Village
Judy and Jim Jandreau
Vero Beach
Indian River Estates West
Paul Kayser
Mary Ellen Replogle
Pompano Beach
John Knox Village Pompano
Patricia Costigan
Carol and Rudolph Frei
Lakeland
The Estates at Carpenters
Robert Smith
Tallahassee
Westminster Oaks
Julie and Rodney Letchworth
St. Johns
Westminster Woods Julington Creek
Dudley Geyer, Sr.
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Canterbury Court
Bradley Currey
INDIANA
Indianapolis
Hoosier Village Maynard Hatch
Sara Hughes
Isaac Stanley
MARYLAND
Bowie
Collington
Martha Laties
Parkville
Oak Crest Chapter
Bettye Miller, Secretary
Anthea Kjerulff
Henry Turner
Leah Turner
Joe Javier
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Peterborough
RiverMead
Peter Rotch
NEW YORK
Sleepy Hollow
Kendal on Hudson
Joseph Costa
Seattle
Aljoya at Thornton Place
Leslie Grace
Unknown Community
David Spicer
Gardiner
Woodland Pond
Raymond Smith, Jr.
Mirabella
Patricia Aitken
Ruth Benfield
OREGON
Portland
Terwilliger Plaza
David Kingsbury
Marvin Kaiser
Park Shore
Jennifer Grohs
Barbara Lenfesty
Skyline at First Hill
Harold Carr
Susan Hogan
Sandra Johanson
Judith Mills
John Mills
Penelope and Cornelius Rosse
Linda Whinery Wolf
VIRGINIA
Falls Church
Goodwin House
Jean Bacon
Dunn Loring
Unknown Community
Cheval Opp
Harrisonburg
VA Mennonite Retirement Community
Mary Ely Griffith
Virginia Beach
Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay
Lynne and David Carre
Nancy Dabney
Venie Decker
Karen Dickenson
Christine Gerloff
Virginia Hall
Joan Hennessy
Ola Krueger
Geraldine McNinch
Elizabeth Miklos
Herbert Philips
Joanne Pratts
Fran Rohdenburg
Janet and David Warren
WASHINGTON
Redmond
Emerald Heights
Robert Bickart
Marvin Bush
Norma Bush
Dawn Clark
John Clark
Richard Cole
Raymond Copin
Paul Gregory
Issaquah
Timber Ridge at Talus
Donald Reiter
Dorothy Lins-Hanson
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee
Eastcastle Place
Shirley Stone
DECEASED MEMBERS
Seattle
Aljoya at Thornton Place
Zdenka Grunbaum
Emerald Heights
Glenetter Bestwick
Mirabella
John W. Cahn
Charles Robert Porterfield
Thomas Ryan
George A. Walker
Skyline at First Hill
Victor “Paul” Johnson
Lifetime Memberships
Jean Walker, Village on the Green, Longwood, FL
Jim Fennessey, Oak Crest Village, Parkville, MD
Virginia Kingsbury, Terwilliger Plaza, Portland, OR
Elizabeth Bottler, Park Shore, Seattle, WA
Susan Hogan, Skyline at First Hill, Seattle, WA
Linda Whinery Wolf, Skyline at First Hill, Seattle
Donald Reiter, Timber Ridge at Talus, Issaguah, WA
National Continuing Care Residents Association
325 John Knox Rd.
Suite L. 103
Tallahassee, FL 32303