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Table
of Contents
Senior
Cohousing
Transition
Navigator: volunteer opportunity
Cool
Career #116: Play Consultant
Work
Longer, Live Longer
- Housing
remains a hot issue for older Americans -- people over 50 bought
more than 25 percent of all new homes this year. So it isn't so
surprising that big bucks are being spent to market the amenities
(golf, tennis, fitness centers) and home designs this population of
empty-nesters most desires. Age-restricted communities pioneered by
Del Webb (now part of Pulte Homes) continue to attract large numbers
of people who prefer the security of a gated environment and the
company of their peers. But strong interest is also emerging in
other choices. One we think has a lot going for it is senior
cohousing. (Full discussion follows.)
Recommended
Book:Senior
Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living (Habitat
Press, 2005) by Charles Durrett makes a strong case for this form of
cooperative living for older adults on the basis of quality of life.
The book, a follow up to Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to
Housing Ourselves which Mr. Durrett co-authored with his wife
and partner, Kathryn McCamant, is also based on research the author
conducted on communities in Denmark, which he considers "at least
20 years ahead of North Americans" in the concept. Billed as a
'handbook,' Senior Cohousing delivers on its promise. It is packed
with site plans of cohousing communities (a true
one-picture-equals-a-thousand-words), interviews with residents, cost
comparisons, and as clear a 'how to' proceed as you'll find on this
or any subject. You could begin with Chapter 7, Study Group I: Is
Cohousing for You? Then read Mariendalsvej: A Cautionary Tale, p.
79-84. The bottom line: a community forms in the process of forming
a community. Even if you decide cohousing isn't for you, this lively book is a mind-opener on the subject.
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Transition
Navigator. Sounds like an operative on the Starship Enterprise, but
in fact describes a member of the volunteer staff of The Hub, a
community resource for mid-life and older adults that opened at the
Newton Free Library (Newton, MA) November 1. Transition Navigators
are trained to guide users to information on housing, medical care,
elder affairs, relocations, technology, employment and volunteer
opportunities. The Hub is the latest development of Discovering
What's Next Revitalizing Retirement, the brainchild of elder affairs
expert, Carol Greenfield, DWN president. Kudos to Carol, and also
to Brookline psychiatrist, George Klavens, and his wife, Cissie,
executive coach and career consultant, who have been instrumental in
forums, discussion groups and film evenings for the past three
years. More info: 617-969-5906 ext. 299, dwnext@comcast.net.
If you don't have a Hub in your neighborhood, you may have
to create one.
Cool
Career #116: Play Consultant. "Terry Sand is a wife and mother
who once worked as a successful television anchorwoman in the San
Francisco Bay Area. Five years ago she made a radical career change
and is now a play consultant for some of Silicon Valley's biggest,
most stressful corporations. Terry teaches high tech workers
effective, low-tech methods for neutralizing stress, thinking
creatively, and working harmoniously with others."
http://www.instituteforplay.com/7playing_at_work.htm
Grandparents
go the extra mile to live near their grandchildren (we know, we know). See this report
in the Christian Science Monitor:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1109/p13s01-lifp.html
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If
you want to make this a greener holiday season, consider Coop
America's People's Choice Award for Green Business of the Year, Ten
Thousand Villages, a catalog of gifts from craftspeople around the
world. http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/
"Home,"
wrote Robert Frost, "is the place where, when you have to go there,
they have to take you in." A student of poetry will immediately
notice that Frost has packed his one liner with some complicated
ideas. His insight captures the complicated relationship we have
with the place we call home, however mobile we are as a society.
Housing
remains a hot issue for older Americans -- people 50 and older
bought more than 25 percent of all new homes this year. So it isn't
so surprising that big bucks are being spent to market the amenities
(golf, tennis, fitness centers) and home design this population of
empty-nesters most desires. Age-restricted communities pioneered by
Del Webb (now part of Pulte Homes) continue to attract large numbers
of people who prefer the security of a gated environment and the
company of their peers.
But
strong interest is also emerging in small towns and college towns,
and more recently, in urban condos (see Satisfaction,
www.satisfactionmag.com).
This tell us that a significant part of us have a definition of home
that goes far beyond built-in conveniences and a well-equipped
fitness facility. People are creating NORCs (naturally occurring
retirement communities) by choosing to age in place, surrounded
by friends and neighbors of like-mind, and demanding community
resources to support this choice. And others are experimenting with
newer, evolving forms of housing. One of these is Senior Cohousing.
Invented
in Denmark about 25 years ago and transplanted to North America in
1988, cohousing is a form of collaborative living that attracts
people who want a deeper sense of community than is usually available
in most cities, suburbs or gated, 55+ housing. It is as much an idea,
a philosophy, even a movement, as an innovation in housing. It may
very well be an idea whose time as come, see Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cohousing
for
a good overview.
Currently,
there are 165 established communities in the U.S. to date and many
more in various stages of development. In cohousing, residents own
(or rent) a dwelling that is oriented around common open areas and a
common building that may include any or all of the following: dining
room, library, lounge, laundry, workshop, gym, and so on. Community
is inherent in the design, to maximize social interaction among
residents. In keeping with these aspirations, community size is
typically between 20 and 30 individual homes. Many communities
schedule a dinner for all residents at least two nights a week, and
residents take turns doing the cooking and clean up.
The
other major difference between cohousing and other planned
communities, is that they are self-managed using a participatory
process that requires a commitment of time and energy (and works as
an excellent screening device for prospective members). In fact,
participation is established in the earliest planning stages, and
members have usually bonded long before groundbreaking. Cohousing
shares some of the features of an intentional community, but does not
espouse any particular ideology. Many tend to be 'green' and
sustainable in their orientation, and some, e.g. EcoVillage in
Ithaca, NY, http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/
have won
environmental awards.
In
its infancy in the U.S., senior cohousing is in many ways identical
to cohousing, with some distinctions. It offers the advantages of
cohousing to those who prefer interaction with their peer group. The
design of both individual homes and common spaces takes into account
changes in the physical abilities of residents who desire to age in
community (as opposed to merely aging in place). Senior cohousing
mitigates the isolation and loneliness often experienced by older
adults who have lost a partner, or whose family lives far away.
Unlike 'assisted living' and other institutionalized housing
currently available, residents are empowered as decision-makers, a
key feature in health and vitality later in life.
If
it is true that we make a home, and then our home makes us, choosing
where and how we live in later life is as important a decision as any
we'll ever make. With that in mind, here are more housing resources for you and/or the elders in your family to consider.
www.cohousing.org
includes established communities with homes for sale or rent, and
those being planned, as well as a lot of general information on the
subject. See also Intentional Communities, www.ic.org
Elder
Co-Housing: http://www.eldercohousing.org/
The
next Elder Cohousing workshop will take place February 16 -19,
2006 in Boulder, Colorado.
Silver
Sage Village, Boulder, Co. http://www.silversagevillage.com/
It has four homes left at this writing.
Dr.
Bill Thomas, Eden Alternatives,
http://www.pbs.org/thoushalthonor/eden/
McCamant
& Durrett Architects (The CoHousing Company),
www.cohousingco.com)
Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett are largely responsible for the
introduction of cohousing in the United States, and continue to be at
the forefront of the movement.
A
classic on ideal-driven housing: Skinner, B. F. Walden Two.
MacMillan Co., 1948.
‰•˛Back
to the City,‰•ˇ Satisfaction magazine, www.satisfactionmag.com
Del
Webb's answer to active adult living:
http://www.delwebb.com/Lifestyle/Default.aspx
NORCs.
Good example of community support for naturally occurring retirement
community, http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/norc.html
Senior
Frat House? What can happen when you fill your empty nest with
friends.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/31/HOGEQEDF371.DTL
Senior
Housing Net, an overview and current definitions under the umbrella
of senior housing. http://www.seniorhousingnet.com/seniors/
See also, Retirement Net: http://www.retirenet.com/
Further
thoughts on the subject of housing, write to marika@2young2retire.com
Stay well, make it new, make it better.
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