The following article was written by Larry Beresford, a member of the Phoenix Commons (senior cohousing in Oakland, Calif.) Wellness Team. It was previously published on the Next Avenue website in March 2025. Next Avenue is a nonprofit, digital journalism publication produced by Twin Cities PBS (TPT). The article has been lightly edited for this publication.

As a Medicare-age, still-working freelance medical journalist, I have found my best contribution to my community’s well-being is through its Wellness Team, helping to spark an ongoing conversation within the community about what it means to age well.

Many cohousing communities are happily multi-generational, but Phoenix Commons, which opened in 2016, was designed and built for older adults. With a few exceptions, we are all 55 and older, currently up to 92 years old. We are a mix of retired and employed, singles and couples, physically vigorous and living with physical limitations.

What makes Phoenix Commons different from many models of senior housing is that there’s no facility manager or office nurse with a clipboard instructing us all on how we could be living better. This is not a health facility, and we are autonomous older adults with lives and minds of our own. We don’t provide health care for each other, although we rely on the support and consideration of our friendly, caring neighbors.

How we help address aging

As the Phoenix Commons founding members were busy planning for the community’s opening in March 2016, they realized it made sense to talk about health and wellness and what aging well might look like in our setting. The team agreed that residents would be eager to gain a better understanding of what underlies the changes that come with aging. We opted to plan monthly one-hour educational talks aimed at providing information at a level that was engaging and useful — things we might actually put into practice.

The team began by compiling lists of subjects and then voting on which topics seemed most important and timely. Some of the more popular presentations have covered advance care planning, getting important papers in order, caregiving concerns, falls prevention, and hearing issues. We discovered that identifying a topic was only part of the job. We also needed to find a knowledgeable person to speak to us about the topic. And they had to be willing to do it for free, as we have no budget for honoraria.

Sometimes the expert was a resident of our community. With members including an estate attorney, physical therapists, nurses, social workers, public school teachers, a hospice chaplain — and me, a medical journalist — we have a lot of knowledge to share among our neighbors.

We eventually decided it would be more efficient to have just one person lead the way in finding and communicating with possible speakers, maintaining the calendar, posting flyers in the elevator, introducing the speakers and offering key questions for them to address. That person is me. Ideas and suggestions from our residents are always welcomed at our monthly Wellness Team planning sessions as well.

Similar approaches

For this article, I contacted three of the 20 other operating senior cohousing communities listed on the Coho US website. I discovered that they are doing many of the same things as Phoenix Commons in sparking wellness conversations. PDX Commons in Portland, Ore., has had a series of health-related teams over its eight years in existence, according to member Karen Erde.

Their work has included a film program that chooses movies showcasing health issues in aging and an ongoing speakers program that covers a wide range of topics. Topics have included “dying legally,” hallucinogens, exercise, healthy eating, scam protection and many more.

Silver Sage Village in Boulder, Colo., one of this country’s first senior cohousing communities, has presented occasional speakers as well as talks by its members. “We do have a care network for coordinating discussions, activities and mutual assistance,” says member Rahima Dancy. And Village Hearth Cohousing in Durham, NC, has pulled together a care team that originally was meant to provide practical supportive services. It eventually expanded to offer programs on health-related topics of interest to members — such as the local transportation system, legal and end-of-life documents, and green burials.

Timely topics

At Phoenix Commons, the topic for a wellness talk can arise directly from something that has happened here. For example, after several of our members fell and fractured limbs, we brought back a physical therapist to talk about how to prevent such falls. She also taught us what to do after a fall. (Take a breath and do a quick scan to see whether and where you have pain. Then get something solid like a chair to grasp and, with a friend standing by your side, slowly raise yourself, first to your knees and then to standing. If you can’t do that yourself, it’s time to call 911.)

Another example of timely topics based on member experiences relates to the end of life. When facing a life-limiting illness, a few of our neighbors have chosen hospice care. At least one turned to medical aid in dying (MAID), which is legal in California. Emotions around end-of-life choices run high, and the Wellness Team recognized the importance of addressing them via presentations from community experts who could explain the provisions of MAID and define hospice care. We have also scheduled a local death doula to talk about her work with the dying.

The big picture

As a community of older adults, we are well aware that aging brings an accumulation of chronic health complaints, along with physical and mental limitations — loss of mobility and the need for walking aids, hearing loss, failings of short-term memory, the impact of a stroke, cancer or a heart condition. Through wellness talks we have gained a greater appreciation that many issues of elder health come down to four key elements — diet, physical activity, stress management and social connection — including the preservation of a sense of purpose in your life.

Phoenix Commons has developed its own healthful practices in line with priorities. All-vegetarian, gluten-free entrees are becoming more common at our twice-weekly communal meals. Walking groups help neighbors get out our door to the Oakland waterfront. Tai Chi meets twice weekly in the dining room, and a personal trainer is teaching those who want more advanced fitness instruction.

From the beginning, at our board and team meetings, over communal dinners and in the hallways, community residents have turned to discussions about aging, the limitations it imposes and the role of the community as a whole in helping with the needs of individuals. The Wellness Team lecture series has served to inform and expand these discussions and encourage the sharing of life experiences.

About Phoenix Commons

Like most cohousing communities, Phoenix Commons is intentional, self-governing and cooperative. Members own their individual residential units, share ownership of common spaces, and engage in various shared activities. This model of cooperative living was imported from Denmark in the 1990s.

We make important community decisions by consensus. Our teams address topics such as common space management, common meals, social events, civic engagement, building security and disaster preparation — along with wellness, broadly defined. And we request a volunteer commitment of about 10 hours per month from each member to complete their tasks.

Upcoming events

Jan. 20 — Seniors in Cohousing Q&A, an informal facilitated conversation for those who are interested in senior cohousing and/or senior living in intergenerational cohousing; 10 a.m. MST; repeats on the 20^th of each month; register here. Once registered, you’ll receive an email before the meeting with a link to join the call on Zoom.

Feb. 10 — The Commons, a free monthly gathering for the cohousing curious and experts, too; 10 a.m. MST; repeats on the 10^th of each month; register here.

CohoUS offers many live and on-demand courses on a wide range of topic related to cohousing. Peruse them here.

The Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC) also offers a range of live, on-demand and rerun online courses. Check out some interesting live courses coming up in March 2026.

Find out about becoming a CohoUS member here. 

See the CohoUs mission and vision statement here.