The emerging relationship between academic health centers and continuing care retirement communities

A survey of the 96 member-institutions of the Association of Academic Health Centers was conducted by the authors during the 1988-89 academic year to determine the number and types of contractual ties with continuing-care retirement communities (CCRCs). Of the 88 academic health centers that responded, 24% had an existing relationship with a CCRC; 26% were in the process of developing such a relationship; 7% had considered but decided against such a relationship; and 43% had not considered developing such a relationship. The authors document a rapid increase in the number of such relationships in the latter half of the 1980s and suggest that this trend is comparable to the increase in formal relationships with nursing homes begun by academic health centers in the early 1980s. Issues raised by those institutions that responded are presented, levels of possible involvement with a CCRC are described, and the contractual agreement between the University of North Carolina School of Medicine's Program on Aging and a local CCRC is presented as an example of the benefits that can be gained from such a relationship.