Oakcreek, a senior cohousing community in Stillwater OK, focuses on healthy aging. To support its members, the community has established several programs and procedures to address needs that can come up for older people. They are described following the background information below.

Background

Oakcreek Community was started in 2009 by eight households who wanted to retire in Stillwater but couldn’t find housing that suited their needs. Construction was completed in 2012, just three years after the initial planning. The community consists of 24 single-level homes grouped into six buildings. Home prices in the area are among the lowest in the country, making this an attractive alternative for those who may feel they can’t afford cohousing in other areas.

Stillwater (population around 50,000) is home to Oklahoma State University, a large public land grant university with about 27,000 students. The city also has a vibrant performing arts center. Stillwater is located about 70 miles from two large metropolitan areas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Oakcreek homes are designed to meet the ADA (Americans With Disabilities) accessibility standard. They use heat pumps for heating and cooling. The 7.5 acre property includes a beautiful forested area with walking trails along a creek. The 30 community members enjoy frequent common meals in the large common house as well as weekly coffee and happy hours, a community garden, sharing movies and games, volunteering at a local food pantry, and other social activities.

Each of the following programs was established with community consensus.

Care partners

Members who experience temporary ill health can communicate with and receive help and support from community members through voluntary agreements between residents of different households. A care partner may provide companionship as desired and coordinate services needed due to short-term illness, recovery from surgery or long-term medical recovery. The care partner relays the member’s wishes for support and/or care to others in the community. Support provided by members has extended to typical needs associated with aging, such as rides to doctor appointments for those who no longer drive, etc.

Terminal conditions like advanced dementia require professional care. Some residents with such conditions have chosen to continue living in their homes as long as possible with the help of professional home care. Factors affecting the decision whether to stay or move may include proximity of family members and accessibility to specialized medical facilities. For example, one member moved out of state at the age of 96 — as her health was declining, she preferred to live close to a relative. Two members with terminal medical conditions decided to live their last days at home. Their recent passing was a difficult time emotionally for their care partners and for the whole community. Yet the experience inspired community discussions about how to enable community members to stay engaged with those facing end-of-life situations.

Do Not Resuscitate

Oakcreek keeps a list of members who maintain a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order. This is useful in deciding whether to use CPR or a defibrillator if a member is not breathing or has no heartbeat. Members can specify if they want neither of these to be used, or just one or the other.

Extra Energy Fund

The community’s Extra Energy Fund exists so that members can voluntarily contribute funds when they are no longer able to help with community responsibilities. The fund is not intended to substitute for a members’ participation when they have the ability and time. These funds are used to pay for labor that would normally have been provided by members — such as window washing, gutter cleaning or bookkeeping.  

Shelter in place

Oakcreek has an above-ground storm shelter and two smaller underground shelters to accommodate members in the case of impending tornadoes or severe thunderstorms. Since it requires walking outdoors to reach these shelters, members may decide to shelter in their home, usually in a bathroom or closet. Because impaired hearing may affect a member’s ability to hear tornado sirens, others are responsible for making sure that everyone who isn’t sheltering in place gets to the shelters. Door signs identify homes where occupants prefer to shelter in place.

Resale Group

Since most realtors are unfamiliar with cohousing, any community member or their heirs deciding to sell their home are advised to notify the Resale Group. It can act as liaison between the seller and potential buyers, enabling the seller to take advantage of a list of interested parties. A representative of the Resale Group helps orient potential buyers to Oakcreek’s cohousing lifestyle and its bylaws and agreements. The goal is to avoid sale failures due to a buyer’s lack of understanding of cohousing expectations. The liaison guides the seller and buyer through the sales process.

Following closure of the home sale, it’s customary for the seller to donate one to three percent of the sale price to the HOA to recognize the considerable efforts made by the community and the Resale Group. This arrangement benefits both the community and the seller — the contribution is significantly less than the average realtor commission of six to seven percent.

Subscribe to E-News by clicking on the “Subscribe to E-News” link at the bottom of the cohousing.org home page.

Find past issues of E-News at the “eNews Archives” link at the bottom of the home page.

Upcoming events

April 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.

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

The Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC) also offers a wide range of on-demand and rerun online courses. Check them out here

Find out about becoming a CohoUS member here. 

See the CohoUs mission and vision statement here.