The rise of senior cohousing

From senior apartments and assisted-living facilities to nursing homes and more, there’s no shortage of housing options for older adults. But there’s one increasingly popular and nontraditional alternative you may not be aware of, and that’s cohousing communities. Simply put, a cohousing community is an “intentional neighborhood in which residents actively participate” in its design and operation. Members of these communities own their homes privately but share certain facilities and amenities, some examples of which might be on-site healthcare providers, common meals and green space.

The Cohousing Association of the United States is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing attention to cohousing and its benefits, with a growing focus on the development of age-targeted cohousing communities in response to the nation’s growing population of senior citizens. In fact, a two-day conference scheduled for May 2016 is dedicated to this very topic.

Curious yet? As awareness of these unique communities rises, here are three things to know about senior cohousing:

1. Glacier Circle, the very first U.S. senior cohousing community, opened in 2005 in Davis, California. With just 12 seniors living in eight houses, residents enjoy thrice-weekly common meals and shared outdoor spaces. Glacier Circle is unique in that most residents knew each other for long periods of time before creating the community – a characteristic not typical of most senior cohousing.

2. Early cohousing communities were multigenerational and consisted mostly of couples and families, but people quickly saw a need for more specialized communities for older adults (i.e. featuring accessible housing and activities geared toward seniors). The idea of age-targeted cohousing has enjoyed success abroad, most notably in Denmark.

3. Seniors who live in such communities have noted less social isolation and more sharing of information about aging issues. The typically smaller homes and shared yard work (among other responsibilities) are just some of the characteristics helping to lower the cost of living for retirees who call these neighborhoods home.

Would you ever consider living in a senior cohousing community? Why or why not? Join the conversation on our social media channels!