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CCRC vs. Standalone Assisted Living

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

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Short answer

Two Long Island campuses operate as full Continuing Care Retirement Communities (Life Plan Communities): Jefferson's Ferry in South Setauket and Peconic Landing in Greenport. Both combine independent living with priority access to assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing on one campus, so a couple can stay together even if their care needs diverge.

Entry-fee structures differ between the two

Jefferson's Ferry uses a Life Care contract model, pricing the full continuum of health services at predictable rates with little to no increase beyond the independent living cost. Peconic Landing is structured differently: New York's only equity-based CCRC, where members purchase shares in a housing cooperative rather than paying a standard entrance fee. Neither currently offers rental or affordable-housing options -- both are structured around their specific entry model.

When standalone assisted living is more flexible

A standalone community -- most of the assisted living options in this directory -- is usually simpler and less expensive to enter, with no large entry fee or share purchase required. It is the more flexible choice for a family that is not ready to commit to a full continuum-of-care contract, or that wants to compare multiple operators rather than committing to one campus.

Questions families ask

We're running out of money to pay privately for my parent's care - what are our options?

Once private funds are running low, the relevant path for most Nassau and Suffolk families is long-term-care Medicaid, a separate, asset-tested eligibility pathway from general ACA Medicaid, which can cover nursing home care, Managed Long Term Care (MLTC)-coordinated home care, the Assisted Living Program (ALP), or NHTD waiver services, depending on the level of need. The county Office for the Aging (Nassau: 516-227-8900; Suffolk: 631-853-8200) is a starting point for understanding which of these pathways may apply.

How do we know it's actually time to move my parent out of their home?

There's no single trigger, but common signals include a recent fall or hospitalization, a new or worsening dementia diagnosis, the primary family caregiver reaching burnout, or private funds running low relative to ongoing care costs, any of which typically prompts a first call to the Nassau (516-227-8900) or Suffolk (631-853-8200) County Office for the Aging to understand available options before deciding.

What is Nassau County's Area Agency on Aging, and how do I reach them?

Nassau County's Area Agency on Aging is its Office for the Aging, part of the Department of Human Services, located at 60 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Uniondale, NY 11553, phone 516-227-8900. Nassau was the first county government in the nation to establish a dedicated agency for its 60-plus population.

What is Suffolk County's Area Agency on Aging, and how do I reach them?

Suffolk County's Area Agency on Aging is its Office for the Aging, explicitly designated the Area Agency on Aging under the Older Americans Act, located at the H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, NY 11788, phone 631-853-8200. The office has administered federal, state, and county aging programs for nearly 50 years.

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