A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors – especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age.

There are really three broad categories of retirement communities:

• ACTIVE communities (all residential units, no long-term healthcare facilities – also known as “independent living communities”
• ACTIVE/SUPPORTIVE communities (a combination of residential and healthcare facilities – also known as “continuing care retirement communities” – CCRC)
• SUPPORTIVE communities (all longterm healthcare units, like assisted living facilities or nursing homes)