Entry-Fee CCRCs Endangered?

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Article circulated on RVMlist by Susan Ball, 25 April 2021

CCRCs face increased competition from alternative models, such as rental communities. SB
Entry-Fee CCRC Model Seen As Less ‘Endangered’ Than Before Pandemic
By Tim Mullaney | April 22, 2021

Senior living professionals are more confident in the viability of the traditional continuing care retirement community (CCRC)/life plan community model today than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the picture is complicated by the fact that many industry pros believe that entrance-fee communities are less attractive today than they were in 2019.

That’s according to findings released Thursday from the 2021 State of Senior Living survey from architecture and design firm Perkins Eastman. The survey gathered input from executive leaders and other workers with senior living provider companies, as well as industry consultants. The majority of respondents — 85% — primarily worked at or with a not-for-profit organization.

When asked if the entry-fee CCRC model is endangered, 44% of respondents said yes and 56% said no.

In three previous surveys, a majority of respondents had said that entry-fee CCRCs are endangered.

The increased confidence in the CCRC model makes sense, given how these communities have weathered the pandemic.

CCRCs and life plan communities have consistently reported higher occupancy rates than other types of senior living communities.

In the first quarter of 2021, life plan community occupancy stood at 84.3% across the primary and secondary markets tracked by NIC MAP Vision, according to data also released on Thursday, separate from the Perkins Eastman report. Non-life plan community occupancy averaged 74.9% in Q1 2021.

Nonprofit CCRCs/life plan communities fared even better, with average Q1 2021 occupancy of 86.1%.

The strong performance of CCRCs during the pandemic will likely be “discussed for years,” according to Eric Mendelsohn, CEO of real estate investment trust National Health Investors (NYSE: NHI).

The large campuses may have helped with social distancing and infection control; the resident base may have been younger and healthier than in other settings; and the strength of the housing market, supporting home sales to fund entry fees, all might be contributing factors, Mendelsohn postulated during an appearance on SHN+ TALKS.

Yet, another finding from the Perkins Eastman survey is confounding.

In 2019, only 13% of respondents said that entrance-fee CCRCs had become “less attractive” than they were previously. But in 2021, 35% of respondents said entrance-fee CCRCs have become less attractive.

Respondents might believe that CCRCs and life plan communities have taken a reputational hit due to bad press during the pandemic, but that resulting negative sentiment will be short-lived, the report authors suggested.

Or, respondents might believe that — while entry-fee communities are less “endangered” today than they were in 2019 — they do face increased competition from alternative models, such as rental communities. This hypothesis is supported by comments that some senior living executives have recently made to Senior Housing News.

Ohio Living, for example, has introduced more rent-based options over the last three years.

“The rental model is going to be more in demand going forward and in our product offering,” Ohio Living CEO Larry Gumina told SHN last winter.

Other findings from the Perkins Eastman survey include:

— Independent living/assisted living hybrid communities are seen by 46% of respondents as more appealing than previously

— Almost 70% of respondents said “apartments for life,” in which residents can age in place as their needs increase, are more appealing than in the past

— 80% of respondents said “new operational measures to address the spread of disease” is a long-term trend

— The majority of respondents believe that loss of revenue due to pandemic-related restrictions and concerns will be a short-term trend

— 55% of respondents said that increased operational costs — including for PPE and new staff hires — is a long-term trend

Timely Word Play

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by Connie Kent

It’s time. We’re on time.

We spend time. We buy time. We save it (to spend later?) Many times we squander it. On occasion, we even kill it.

At times, we don’t have enough. We run out of time. We need more. We make time. Sometimes we just take it.

We use our time – wisely or not. We fill our time. We allow enough of it – or not. We have it on our hands. Sometimes it’s heavy on our hands.

Sometimes, time’s on our side. Sometimes not.

Time passes. Time flies. Time drags. Time slows down. Time stands still. We take time out.

All the time. Most of the time.

Time heals.

The time is past. The time is yet to come. The time has come.

Time’s up. We’re out of time.

Still More Words at Play

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Priceless Treasures Excavated by the Consummate Word-miner,

Tom Conger

 

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.  Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll

 

For this chapter, we are indebted to Why Do We Say That?  compiled by Graham Donaldson and Sue Setterfield, Dorset Press 1989.

 

Put a sock in it! – “In these days of compact discs, videos and digital recordings, it is astonishing to think that only fifty years ago [1939] people used wind-up gramophones with the sound emerging from a large horn. A volume control was a thing of the future. So when Aunt Agatha complained of that dreadful Charleston noise there was only one thing to do—put a sock in it—literally.  One or more woolen socks were pushed into the horn of the gramophone to muffle the sound. Today it means, quite simply: ‘shut up’.“

 

load of old codswallop – “When somebody says something which is nonsense, far-fetched, or simply untrue, they are often accused of speaking ‘a load of codswallop.’  We have a certain American gent called Hiram Codd to thank for this colourful expression. In 1875 he patented a  special bottle of mineral water which became very popular—except among hardened beer drinkers.  The word ‘wallop’ was already well in use to describe alcoholic drinks and so, sneeringly, Hiram’s concoction—and other weak drinks—became known in bars as ‘Codd’s Wallop.’ Gradually, anything inferior or false became known by the single word ‘codswallop’.”

toady – “This saying is used to criticise somebody who, to further his own ends, says or does anything to please his superior.  It comes from the days of traveling medicine men in the American ‘Wild West.’ They used to sell useless potions to the public. Taking advantage of the popular but false belief that toads were extremely poisonous, the ‘quack’ doctor would get an accomplice to swallow, or pretend to swallow, a toad. He would then immediately drink one of the doctor’s potions and, much to the amazement of the crowd, walk away fit and well.”

 

hair of the dog – “After a party, it is not unusual for some of the guests to wake up the next morning with a hangover. The cure is said to be another drink, or ‘The hair of the dog.’  This is based on the superstition that people who are ill after being bitten by a dog can only be cured by swallowing a piece of burnt hair from the same animal. In truth, the ‘cure’ seldom works.”

rigamarole – First you do this, then you do that, then you do another thing, then…oh, what a rigamarole!’ That’s just what we call a long, involved, complicated way of doing things.  The 700-year old expression began life as the Ragman Roll, given to King Edward I by Scottish noblemen. Each signed a deed pledging loyalty to the king and affixed his seal. The deeds were then joined together to form a document 40 feet long!  The Ragman Roll is kept at the Public Records Office, London.”

 

deadline – A deadline is the final time by which a job must be finished. Journalists use the word a lot [see: The Complement…]. If they don’t meet their deadline their work is useless [not going there…]—or dead—because it will have missed the edition.  The phrase comes from the American Civil War in the 1860s. A line was marked all around the wire fence of the Andersonville prisoner-of-war camp and any prisoner seen crossing the line was, without warning, shot dead.”

 

“A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged, it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used.”

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

RVM Spring Birds

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photo collage by Reina Lopez

People to Contact for Help at RVM

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Cyndee Mauer in Resident Services    Ext 7360

Debbie Watt in Resident Services Ext 7359

Linda Bellinson  for Counseling support Ext 7157

Father Joel Ext. 7296

Chaplain Anya Ext. 7295

 

 USE THE LIST SERVE– Everyone is always ready with ideas and support

I was given lots of names for computers and taxes but they want to be off line and asked on an individual basis.  This means that if you want them, just put out a call on the list serve that you need help, and they will contact you!  This includes people who are trained as AARP tax volunteers.

ACTIVITIES ON MYRVM.ORG

https://a.mwapp.net/p/mweb_ws.v?id=82274946&c=82275315&n=Resident-Information

SPIRITUAL CARE AND WELL BEING Lots of support on their Page of myrvm.org, and lots of videos and links to other support groups

https://a.mwapp.net/p/mweb_ws.v?id=82274946&c=82275234&n=Spiritual-Care-~-Well-being/Counseling

A resource that is provided through Resident Services for surviving spouses and family members that you might use as a baseline is called, ”Managing Life After Loss”. Specific on-campus resources will probably be sourced to you from those who have recently survived a loss, but may be limited by time-sensitive information.

Debbie Watt in Cynde’s office is pretty informed about what people need.  But this website has so much more to offer.  Check it out.

In the RVM app under Directories: Go to In Memoriam } Managing Life after Loss } and you get  links to:  Spiritual care/Wellbeing Counseling, Socrates Cafe, Story Corps, LCSW, All Saints Day, Religious Activities, 2 YouTubes, support for Grief and Loss and Managing Life after Loss

 DOG WALKER:

Krazy Kritters Dog Walkers  run by Karissa Quant

Contact 541-678-0570  email: krazykritterdogwalking@hotmail.com

Website:  https://www.krazykritterdogwalking.com/

MANOR FAVORITES with all sorts of suggestions including computer services and tax preparation:

https://www.closereach.com/rvm/favoritesset.html

NOTARY SERVICES:

Free notary service is available at the Foundation Office. Rosa and Krista are both notaries. USBank does notary services free for customers.

From Doyne Mraz:  I am a Notary and have been for years here at the Manor.  I will notarize anything that requires it in the State of Oregon, and I do not charge for residents or employees of the Manor.  I can come to you or meet you at a place mutually agreed upon at any time.  I cannot tell you how many notarizations I have performed at 4:00 a.m. at the Asante Hospital. 541 857-6232 and/or popadocrvm@gmail.com

I certainly can help residents find the notary : Carol Solomon 6752

OTHER SERVICES:

Dave Smith, estate attorney in Medford and Chad Smith, financial planner with Retirement Planning Services in Ashland

Another recommended financial advisor was Mark Degner

The front office (reception) knows names of residents who will help with computer.

AARP provides free tax help. People on campus for this help are: Jane Hall, Tucker Newlon, David Gent, Bob Spence, Cindy Bollens, Jim Quan, and  Ken Kelley

HEALTH CARE REPRESENTATIVE:

Ellen Waldman

PO Box 1086

Ashland, OR 97520

Tel:  541 482-9489

email:  edw@ashlandHome.net

She was very useful in making sure that I had the right paperwork done on advance directive, etc., and that the doctors and hospital had the necessary forms.  In an emergency, she would step in and see that I had the necessary care, and she would follow up if I needed further care, at home or elsewhere.

Another person who acts as a health care representative is:

Suzanne Mendelson. 541-944-9321

And when in doubt- call the FRONT DESK at 7600 for suggestions.

Confusion over Freeway Offramp Construction

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by Connie Kent

A Medford Tribune article, published on April 23, 2021, caused confusion among Manor residents. The article claimed a single-payer construction project was being undertaken to widen Exit 27, the South Medford I5 freeway exit for traffic coming from the north, so that, during peak hours, traffic on the off-ramp won’t build up to the point that it interferes with the fast-paced traffic on the interstate.

The single payer is reportedly RVM. One wonders, naturally, what’s in it for RVM? The article attempts to explain: the project will “mitigate” some of the development planned on the empty lots at 1020 Ellendale Drive (near the two Hilton hotels), which are owned by RVM, and which, according to Sarah Lynch, are to become part of a “commercial village”.

A number of comments were posted on the RVM listserv, expressing everything from puzzlement and concern, to alarm and distrust.

“. . . not enough has been explained.”

“The article in yesterday’s MT brings more questions than answers.”

“This change will increase the traffic onto E.  Barnett.” “ RVM population traffic that tries to make a left turn from Ellendale onto East Barnett. . . already has to wait up to five minutes to make that turn, and very few vehicles can make it through that light on one light cycle.”

“How can RVM develop a ‘Commercial Village’? [It] is a non-profit CCRC and cannot be in the business of selling or providing items for a profit. That is the reason the golf courses are leased to a sub-corporation for profit of PRS as RVM cannot offer golf play for a fee.”

“I am unsure as to the overall benefit to RVM. Possibly I do not have enough information.”

“It is amazing what the RVM Board approves without the residents being aware???”

A skeptic summed it up: “I think the fundamental question is about what it means to live in a retirement community that happens to be operated by a corporation whose primary objective is real estate development.”

May Library Display

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The library volunteers decided that it is time for Oregon natives and transplants to recognize our beautiful state despite all the troubles of the past year.  With that in  mind, a wide variety of books about Oregon are on the Manor Library display table for your reading and visual pleasure during the coming month.  These include books by Manor authors John Kemper, Ann Sutton, and Carol Barrett.  There are volumes about Medford and the Rogue River.  There are even some novels based in Oregon.  A small sample of the books are listed below:

History of a People, by Stephen Dow Beckham.  This is considered a classic history of Southern Oregon native peoples during the 1850’s and the Rogue River Wars.

Skookum, by Shannon Applegate.  This is a recounting of the Applegate family, early settlers in our area.

Camp White–City in the Desert, by George Kramer.  Learn about the many events at Camp White during World War II.

Oregon Wine:  A Deep Rooted History, by Scott Sursa.  All about the development of wine making in Oregon.

Display created by Bonny Turner

Surviving Surviving

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By Joni Johnson

Becoming suddenly single through the loss of a loved one is not an easy thing to navigate. There is, of course, the paperwork, which I understand is quite an adventure.  But in addition, all of a sudden you are faced with a whole new world to maneuver.  Who are my friends?  I used to be a couple.  What am I now?  How do I play?  Where do I eat and with whom? So many questions while at the same time you are grieving for your lost love and the comfort and habits of the past and worried and uncertain about your expectations for the future. . . .

And yet, there are many here on campus who arrived at RVM as a “solitaire”- either because they have always chosen to be single or because they have chosen to remain single after becoming widowed or divorced. In many ways, they have faced the same questions, but without the same pain attached, and I thought it would be interesting to learn how they have managed to enjoy their life as a single person.

In writing this article, I interviewed men and women who had lost their significant other while living at the Manor as well as men and women who had come to RVM content in their single status.  This is what I found.

One thing that made a difference for those who have come as couples is how dependent each one was when they were a twosome.  If the suddenly absent partner had specific jobs in the family like doing the finances or maintaining the household, the suddenly single partner might be required to learn all sorts of new skills. In some of the cases I interviewed,it meant learning how to cook, getting the house ready for the cleaners, how to wash the clothes, learning the computer, taking the dog out, learning how to do the taxes. For some, that meant needing extra help at the beginning. Where once they could rely on someone else, now they had to do it alone. And all these adjustments must take place at exactly the same time one is grieving. It can be overwhelming. Luckily, at the Manor, there is guidance and support if one looks for it. There are people here to help with taxes and computer skills and all sorts of other advice.  It just requires asking for it. People to Contact for Help at RVM

Oddly enough, when I talked with those who have come as “solitaires”, and I asked them what they liked the most about being single, they said it was that they felt empowered to make decisions on their own. They didn’t have to worry about what anyone else thought.  They could go where they wanted, travel where they wanted. They loved being on their own.

In a sense, the biggest issue seems to be establishing a new self-vision. That is hard to describe and is more easily explained in how one navigates the new world that used to be the terrain of “couples”.  All of a sudden, one’s partner for dinner is gone. Going to plays and concerts is now different.  One has to sort of reinvent who one is. And that usually means going way out of one’s comfort zone.  If you were lucky and were a member of a religious group or a bridge group or a dog group or the Hawaii crowd, you were fortunate because some of your work was done for you. Such people were often scooped up and taken care of by a group that they were already a part of. That might mean being invited to lunches or dinners or other events.  However, it often depended on the person him or herself to branch out and invite others to an event which might include a meal or a play or concert.  And that certainly was more difficult.

Some people used the friendship tables to get to know others.  That will be changing in the future since friendship tables may be disappearing.  In the future, when reservations are no longer required, RVM restaurant hosts will be asking guests if they would like to have others join them or if single members would like to join other tables. This might make it easier for those who are alone to dine with others without making arrangements ahead of time.

Another loss for those new to the single life was being alone at night when typically one had someone to talk with and share the day.  That is hard to replace.  It just takes time.  In my discussion with those who have made peace with their loss or who chose to live as a single, it doesn’t seem to be an issue.  Somehow, life just takes over.  It’s when one watches TV or reads or writes.  And if one has something important to discuss, they find someone to call or Skype or Facetime with.  It just doesn’t seem to be a problem any more.

For those who traveled a lot with their spouses, all of a sudden, there are travel groups.  In fact, I know of several people who have found friends they love to travel with through these groups, so that feeling of loneliness just lasted one trip.

What people tell me is that the bottom line to “surviving surviving” is really up to you. There are all sorts of ways to get help with the grieving process.  Counselors like our own Linda Bellinson who provides private sessions and groups, Father Joel (and his soon to be successor), Chaplain Anya and outside counselors and groups are wonderful resources to help newly singles move through grief to the other side.  Friends, especially those who are newly or long-time single, are wonderful resources for activities. My interviewees say,  “Don’t wait for them to invite you.  Invite them! Join activities, especially now that Covid is moving away and we are rejoining the human race again.”

Those who have chosen to be single have the same issues.  Who do I eat with?  Who do I play with?  How do I spend my time?  They solve them the same way.  They ask people out on dates!  They are the masters of their fates.  And that is what they love about being single!  And they say, so will you. Just give it time.

Obsolete and Unashamed

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by Bob Buddemeier

Those of us who frequent RVMlist have many opportunities to view compilations of “old stuff” — some nostalgic, many humorous, but mostly with a theme of  “people nowadays don’t understand what it was like back in the day.”  Telephones, toaster ovens, TVs (or lack thereof) and the ever-present ’57 Chevy.  Some of the archaic icons I can relate to, some I can’t — my first car was a ’47 Nash.   Major irony — the kid who couldn’t get a serious date had a car in which the back seat made into a bed.

It may be that my tendency toward being culturally crosswise inspired me (so to speak) to consider the subject backward – that is, in terms of the things that modem people take for granted that have passed me by.  Or for which I have pulled over to allow them to go around, which is more often the case.

However, every so often I get curious enough about what I have missed to try to find out a little about what is going on out there in the world, and why.  I get most of my news from newspapers, but not whole newspapers —individual articles deflected into Google News.  I think — and hope — that this provides a lopsided view of things.  If so, it could explain why, several years ago, I began to wonder who these Kardashians were, and what they did.  After a little on-line research, I ultimately discovered that what they did was pose for photographs and engage in dysfunctional relationships, which is considered newsworthy in some circles.

Which led me initially to the concept of the synthetic celebrity, on the basis of the idea that a celebrity is something to be celebrated.  That would make “synthetic celebrity” an oxymoron, but on further reflection I decided that it was actually a redundancy.  In modem American English, it seems to me that “celebrity” is rarely applied to anyone who has much of any redeeming social virtue or utility.  Can you imagine calling Dr. Fauci a celebrity?  Martin Luther King, Jr.?

So it is with the Kardashians — manufactured plastic fame, coated with synthetic sweeteners.  The eagerly awaited further adventures of Khaki, Komi, and Krum and their consorts-of-the-moment provide us with little more than a regrettable excuse to look down on the already-beleagured people of Armenian ancestry.  [Contest above left:  guess the Kardashian]

My latest — and ongoing — cultural research activity is, if I do say so myself, a trifle more high minded.  What, I asked myself, are these “memes” that everybody refers to?  I got the general idea that they are some sort of upscale emoticon that people are supposed to recognize as a surrogate for a complex concept.

On investigation, I found that their present popularity, somewhat like that of the Kardashians, is intimately linked to the internet.  It all started out with Richard Dawkins (if you don’t know who he was, read on anyway — he’s not a real celebrity; that would be an oxymoron).  He invented the term as a cultural analog of “gene” — the basic unit by which culture is transmitted from one (cultural) generation to the next.

I’m OK with that, but as I delved a little deeper, I ran into some conceptual problems.  For example, it turns out that the picture of the girl staring at her boyfriend as he stares at another girl’s butt is a meme.

So are the LOLCATS (example at right).  And Sign Bunnies.   And Poe’s Law (“it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between satire of extremism and actual extremism on the internet”).

Dawkins predicted that cultural evolution would be incredibly fast compared to biological evolution because of the speed with which internet-accelerated memes could move, mix, and mutate.  IMHO, with a strong emphasis on the mutation.

When asked about recent usage, Dawkins said “So when anybody talks about something going viral on the internet, that is exactly what a meme is and it looks as though the word has been appropriated for a subset of that.”

Well, fellow fogies, are you still with me?  If so, start slowing down, because I’m pulling over to the side of the road again.  Probably for good, this time.

[Wondering if I just made this up?  Check out:
https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-origin-of-the-word-meme/]

 

WHAT’S IN IT FOR US?

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WHAT’S IN IT FOR US?

by Bob Buddemeier

In the summary document Transparency in Decision-making at RVM, and in the longer essay on which it is based, Mark Edy makes the case that the longer-range plans of PRS/RVM, and the processes of their implementation, are not “transparent” – that is, residents cannot look at the information provided and hope to understand what is being done, how, or why, and what the impact on the RVM community may be.

Does it matter?  Do we residents need to worry our gray and/or balding heads about the details of on- or off-site property development?

One way of asking the question is as I circulated on RVMlist: “I think the fundamental question is about what it means to live in a retirement community that happens to be operated by a corporation whose primary objective is real estate development.”

I received a number of responses (all positive in agreement and concern) – one of the most cogent was:

“You’ve hit the nail on the head. As we watch our services decline, staff members leave (fired or willingly), and many cost-cutting measures being put into place, it’s becoming clear that resident needs are being supplanted by the desire to gather resources to continue development projects. We’ve become commodities to be used as a means to an end. This isn’t what I signed up for.”

Let’s review.  Real estate development is not essential to the operation of a retirement community; many, perhaps most, are single-function businesses.  When the organization expands to multiple properties and to real estate development beyond that required to provide direct services to residents, choices arise. How are resources allocated among the various components of the two sub-businesses?  Which drives the organizational structure, staffing, and expenditures?

Mark’s observations support my opinion (and that of my correspondent quoted above) that development and management is the real business, with service to retirees a vestigial excuse and/or cash cow.  Realistically, residents cannot hope to change this – there is too much money and momentum committed.  They can, however, do more to safeguard and advance their interests.

What’s in it for me?  Freeway interchange expansion brings more traffic, which I don’t want, and has almost no possibility of creating a commercial development that improves my quality of life.  More cottages on the golf course increase the use of fixed common facilities, and demands on an already diminished support staff.  What’s in it for me?  For us?  For our successors?

A resident told me that if RVM sold the Ellendale property for $2M, it would be good for the community.  Sorry — real estate profits don’t get rolled into the operating funds that would replace the lost gardeners or wellness assistants, or buy premium food instead of restaurant supply offerings.  They pay off loans or increase liquidity to improve bond ratings, or support the next phase of development.  That doesn’t have to be the case; a business focused on retirement could use income-producing property or investments — or even loans secured by the property — to maintain a reserve fund to tide the community over financial shocks (e.g., an increase in minimum wage) and to cushion necessary changes by providing time to consult and plan for the optimum adaptation.

We can’t expect an enforceable contract, but we can demand a corporate commitment to provide direct and demonstrable benefit to the residents from the proceeds of development.  In order to get that we have to have resident officers and representatives who are willing to speak out consistently and publicly, asking “What’s in it for us?” and communicating the answers.  And those officers and representatives need the backing of an informed, concerned, and active resident population.

What’s the incentive for corporate compliance?  Well, it is recognized that the retirement business is becoming increasingly competitive (article on CCRC “endangerment”).  As one small example, two of my children have put down deposits to move into RVM.  Will it still look like an attractive option 4-6 years from now?  If the trajectory for the next 6 years is like that for the last 6, they may decide to opt for a facility where the management is actually in the retirement business.

 

Link  to: Transparency in Decision-making at RVM

Link to long form essay:  PRS and RVM Planning and Development Lack Transparency

Link to:  RVMlist comments