Anonymous wrote:
communal dining as core features
Btw, imo this is going away. A choice of where to eat, and when. And how many meals you buy. At a lot of places, gone are the days when everyone went to down for meals. When everyone experienced meals together/or most meals together. Now, there's more choice. More variety. There is also less togetherness, less community. I think overall, imo. it's not a good thing.
That may be trues in some places, but definitely not in others. CCRCs, like the Erickson communities in the area (e.g., Ashby Ponds) have multiple restaurants and a certain number of meals are included in the monthly fees. That said, CCRCs usually attract somewhat older residents than do "55+" communities. The latter often have many fewer amenities and services, and are more like conventional suburban housing developments but with very small lots with all exterior maintenance and lawn care supplied as part of the community fees. Most such communities do not include meals in their fees; residents provide for themselves in that regard.
And, to the OP's question, while such communities usually have a clubhouse and associated facilities like a gym, pool, or maybe even a golf course, nobody is obliged to use those facilities. You can stay in your individual home and never emerge, so socializing is never required. CCRCs are similar in that regard, but more often are apartment-style residences rather than smaller single-family homes. There is naturally a little less privacy/isolation in an apartment-style residence.