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CCRC vs. Standalone Assisted Living

A Continuing Care Retirement Community keeps a couple together across care levels through an entry fee. A standalone community is usually simpler and less expensive to enter.

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Short answer

A Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), sometimes called a Life Plan Community, asks residents to pay a substantial entry fee for guaranteed access to higher care levels later. Standalone assisted living skips the entry fee, making it more accessible upfront but requiring a separate search if higher-level care is needed later.

Entry-fee refundability terms vary significantly between CCRC operators -- confirm in writing whether an entry fee is refundable, partially refundable, or non-refundable before committing, since this materially changes the financial comparison against a standalone community.

Questions families ask

Is memory care a separate license in Texas, or something else?

Texas does not issue a separate 'memory care license.' Any facility that markets or holds itself out as providing dementia care must instead file an Alzheimer's/dementia Disclosure Statement with HHSC under 26 TAC Section 553.264, and make it available to families before admission.

How do I check a Fort Worth-area facility's inspection history myself?

HHSC's Long Term Care Regulatory division maintains survey and enforcement records for every licensed Texas assisted living facility. You can also call HHSC's Complaint and Incident Intake line at 1-800-458-9858, 24 hours a day, to ask about a specific facility's complaint or inspection history.

What's the difference between a Type A and Type B assisted living license in Fort Worth?

Type A facilities serve residents capable of following directions to evacuate on their own and who don't need routine overnight attendance. Type B facilities serve residents who need staff help to evacuate, can't follow emergency directions independently, or need nighttime staff attendance -- most memory care in the metro falls under Type B.

Do Fort Worth assisted living facilities have to disclose past violations to families?

Texas law does not require a facility to hand a prospective resident its inspection history unprompted, but that history is public and available through HHSC. Ask directly for a copy, or pull it yourself through HHSC's Complaint and Incident Intake line before you tour.

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