Katie McCamant’s recent interview centered on cohousing’s benefits to those entering the “next act” of their lives. Her responses speak to the tandem benefits of this nexus: aging in community while remaining integrated in the fabric of our chosen city/region. Katie’s experience as development consultant, cohousing entrepreneur and lead at CoHousing Solutions grounds the discussion, while tying in nicely to this hot-topic of May’s Aging Better Together Conference in Salt Lake City. A valuable resource to cohousing residents and residents-to-be of all ages, the Conference will center on the keys to creating senior-friendly cohousing.

Q: What benefits does cohousing provide for those entering midlife and beyond?

“While most of us appreciate the independence and freedom of contemporary life, where women can have interesting careers, live independently, and generally have a wealth of options our mothers couldn’t even imagine, in that process we have also lost the community of proximity and the support of nearby extended family.
These days many of us have created our own community of choice-self-selected “tribes” to share holidays and special occasions with, rather than always depending on blood family-but we depend on our cars to connect us. When we suddenly find ourselves unable to drive, whether because of illness or aging, we can quickly go from a very busy life to immense isolation. Cohousing provides a way to create a strong community of proximity, right out your front door, while still allowing us to live active and independent lives in the city or region of our choice.”

Read the rest of the interview here on Next Act for Women.