If you want to live in cohousing (senior or intergenerational), is it better to join an existing community or try to develop one from the ground up? While the answer may seem obvious in terms of which is easier, people who are attracted to cohousing “often want to be part of creating the dream,” says... Read More

As we encourage more people to consider living in cohousing, we love to emphasize the benefits. They include supportive neighbors, less space needed due to more sharing, and better ways to get our aging-in-community needs met in senior or intergenerational communities. However, an oft-heard challenge when spreading the word is that it is “not affordable.” Our movement’s reliance on creating

In developing a cohousing community, how important is it that prospective members have a chance to participate in the design process? In November 2023, Housing LIN in the UK published a blog post by Queena Stone to examine this question. Queena is an Associate AIA (American Institute of Architects) member based in Seattle, WA. She... Read More

Larry Beresford, a member of Phoenix Commons in Oakland CA, recently had an article published on the website Next Avenue*. Called “A Commitment to Aging Well,” the article talks about what this means and how his senior cohousing community has pursued this aim. Larry is a freelance medical journalist and a member of the community’s... Read More

Shepherd's Village Thanksgiving assembly line

In November 2023, AARP published an article called “Celebrating What’s Right With Aging: Inside the Minds of Super Agers.” Why do some people in their 80s and 90s show little decline in their cognitive abilities, while many of us struggle with slower memory, and others slide into dementia? The following article paraphrases some portions of... Read More

The National Cohousing Conference held in Denver Aug. 2–4 gave seniors in cohousing a higher profile than previous conferences, thanks to our new Seniors in Cohousing Committee. The committee presented three sessions exploring different aspects of seniors in cohousing. It also hosted an early morning “Coffee & Donuts Meet & Greet” that attracted a nice... Read More

Hot on the heels of great aging-in-community conversations, sessions and connections at last month’s National Cohousing Conference in Denver, I recently had the opportunity to participatein “Summer School,” an in-person summit in Montreal. It was called together by This ChairRocks author Ashton Applewhite and her co-creators of the Old School anti-ageism resource center. I found it an... <

As seniors look for more ways to stay socially engaged, there’s a new book that can be a great resource, Building Belonging: Your Guide to Starting a Residential Intentional Community (220 pages). Yana Ludwig, the author, covers the many aspects of starting an intentional community like cohousing. For example, in Chapter 11, “Land and the... Read More