
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.
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.