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This may be a silly question. BIL is in a 55+ community but we are moving him closer to an independent living community. The only upside I see is that it is a lot closer to us. He really needs assisted living but would never agree to that. I'm not the ones making the decisions, I'm just watching this mess unfold.

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Where I am (south central PA), 55+ communities are for people who want to own their own home and they pay an HOA fee for things like lawn mowing and snow removal on their property, as well as access to a clubhouse, pool, fitness equipment, on-site restaurant(s), etc. My sister, in Maryland, is in the process of moving from one 55+ community to another, so obviously they are happy with their living arrangments. Homes are sold by realtors.

An Independent Living Community will most likely be part of a Life Plan Community (formerly referred to Continuing Care Retirement Communities). You buy in to the community, you pretty much contract yourself to be there the rest of your life. If you want to move out of the community, there will probably be some loss of investment. These communities usually provide everything from Independent Living to Assisted Living to Nursing Home and Memory Care. You buy in at the IL level and then you can progress to other levels as needed. If you went from IL to AL, they will refer to the IL residence as "vacated" and will then offer it as available to the next person that wants to buy in. Realtors are not involved, it all stays within the company that runs the community. There are many amenities available in terms of dining, physical activity, enrichment, etc.

I had thought about a LifePlan Community for many years but now my sister has me considering a 55+ community.
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Reply to graygrammie
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Both require being independent in ADL's and getting around with or without using assistive devices (walker, cane, wheelchair, independent use of bathroom, etc. Either may or may not provide dining services. If people need any care, they must pay for it privately in addition the cost of the living unit itself. Some may have call buttons for problems such as falls, but the most they would do is call EMS.
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Reply to Sandra2424
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The main requirement for a 55+ is keeping the community 80 percent old people. Independent living and the rest usually fall under licensing requirements fur more staff involvement. At the mostly IL my dh worked for, vendors would alert staff if there hadn’t been movement in their unit for a day. If they hadn’t told front desk they’d be on vacation, they could expect maintenance to be called to come in to make sure they were still breathing.
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Reply to PeggySue2020
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