Cohousing: The Future of Aging Independently

Apr 27, 2018 by apost team

We all know the basic needs in life - food, clothes, and shelter, with adequate shelter typically being the most expensive need in the modern world. Aging seniors are faced with a real dilemma when it comes to housing, both on a mental, financial, and emotional front. In the past, seniors have turned to skilled care facilities, becoming a guest in their children’s homes, and even loveless marriage proposals just to have a safe, affordable, comfortable place to call home. The newest trend is cohousing. 

Wellderly 

By 2050, predictions suggest that the aging population, that is people at least 60-years-old, will triple in size. The fact is that through technology and adopting healthier, more active lifestyles than ever before, we are seeing our population grows older and older and do so with a relatively good quality of life. It’s called being ‘wellderly.’

It’s fantastic news, but it also reaffirms and expands the dilemma of living arrangements. While healthy, that doesn’t necessarily mean aging seniors can work a job to support their living needs, including affordable housing. It also means that more of the aging population is in the physical, mental, and financial crevasse of being too independent for skilled care living and not independent enough to live completely alone. Wellderly, that is. 

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Enter Cohousing 

This housing scheme was created to solve Denmark’s aging populace’s housing problem. It’s based around the collective value that living within a community and sharing close contact with friends offers. 

Each private village houses private single, private couple, semi-private single, and semi-private couple resident homes clustered to form a community. Then, there are common communal areas where all residents can gather as they please. Of course, each cohousing establishes their own rules, guidelines, and offerings that operate much like a homeowner’s association. Some have communal gardens and libraries. Some have cafeterias, much akin to dorm college life.

But, most all share the common theme of an enclosed community amongst friends sharing their resources for the well-being of the entire group. 

The research is already starting to pour in on the effects of cohousing. The Canadian Cohousing Network, for example, published a study showing seniors in cohousing are living 10 years longer than those in traditional senior housing. 

The cohousing model has been well accepted in Denmark and is expanding to European countries and the United States. 

In Oakland’s Jingletown arts district, for example, The Phoenix Commons is a co-housing community within a four-story condo complex. Yes, it takes a slight deviation from cohousing’s original individual separate rural or suburban homes. Nonetheless, it has 41 units, all dedicated to seniors. The occupants work everything from the business office to bi-weekly communal meals themselves, which is one of the biggest differences between costly structured independent and assisted living communities and the self-sufficient setup of cheaper co-housing options. Little to no outsourced staff. 

Are you or someone you know living in a cohousing community? If so, we’d love to hear about the experience. Thoughts or questions? We’d love to hear those, too.