The Elder Housing section of the neighborhood. Click here or on the image to see the entire "village."

Elder Housing Group

Coming together and sharing is a natural for elders who want a greater sense of community. Staying active with meaningful work, living in a neighborhood of friends, independent, with a plan for more-affordable assisted living at home, should the need arise, are all qualities seniors achieve by working together in an Elder Housing Group.

Elders often prefer living in a neighborhood of folks who are at a similar time in their lives. Their children are grown and out of the home, careers are over, they have free time and want to share mature conversation, work on common projects, or just be spontaneous in the moment.

Smaller houses with less maintenance are often more desirable.  An environment of just suburban 3 bedroom homes, vacant during the day, just doesn't get it!

Senior Cohousing has found, by creating large guest rooms (actually, generous suites), residents' families can stay for extended periods and provide support as needed. An assisted living professional can move into a suite, providing affordable long-term care for the cluster.

Whether it is building a project together, such as a greenhouse, growing their own vegetables, sharing common trips to the market (some live without a car), or going with a friend to the movies or for a bike ride, by designing a cluster together, seniors are having an abundant, fulfilling completion to a life richly lived.

To keep a good mix of ages, Senior Cohousings require new members to be between 55-60. "Time Banking" sets contributions of time for ground maintenance and cooking by the resident's age, thus the older you get the less is required, and an accumulation of hours can be traded, banked for later years, or even sold off to Cohousing members too busy to contribute their required hours. "In truth, however, residents work more community hours than required, for as long as they can. They simply enjoy contributing to their community in a meaninful way." (p 79, Senior Cohousing, A Community Approach to Independent Living, Charles Durrett, Habitat Press, 2005)

Our Focus Group assigned the job of organizing the Community Garden and the Library to the Elder Housing Group. Both of these services could well be extended into the surrounding community.

Click here or on the image below to return to our example community!

Concept Diagram ©2005 Roy Wroth. All rights reserved.