Aging is inevitable. How we live it is our choice.

It’s a lifestyle choice where living in a close-knit, intentional community improves health, reduces the need for senior services, fosters rewarding relationships, and makes life more affordable and fun. And like intergenerational cohousing, senior cohousing is a solution to today’s social and environmental challenges.    

Senior communities typically are defined as communities for people who are 55+ and they follow all the same norms as other cohousing communities, including shared management and maintenance of the property, common meals, several common areas and smaller individual homes, supplemented by several shared spaces and amenities. 

‼️ Learn more at our virtual monthly Seniors in Cohousing Q&A on the 20th of each month (regardless of day of the week) at 10 a.m. Mountain Time. Register on this page and come join us ‼️

ACCESSIBILITY Senior projects are designed with accessibility in mind—whether units are in elevator buildings or units on ground level, homes are built with accessibility features seniors may need as they age

SAFETY With nearby neighbors who know each other well, the odds of getting help you need it go up dramatically. It’s easy for neighbors to keep an eye out for each other, or even schedule daily check-ins while still respecting privacy. That caring means that if a fall or other injury happens, someone will notice and help.

SOCIAL CONNECTION Recent research suggests loneliness is as damaging to health as tobacco or obesity. As they look for ways to stay socially engaged as they age and may become less able to drive, having common meals and community spaces to gather make a huge difference.

Unlike retirement communities which are run by for-profit management companies, cohousing communities are self-managed by members who control decision making and take care of managing the infrastructure. Members do the work themselves and hire outside professionals when needed.  They utilize committees to plan community meals, social activities, manage budgets, and oversee maintenance needs.  Not having an outside management company and taking on the work themselves saves money and is a means by which members connect with and care for one another.

As we phase out of parenting and careers, many of us have time and energy to learn new skills and fuel our intellectual curiosity. Research on the benefits of continued learning as we age is clear. People who keep learning new information, skills and ways to be of service stay healthier in the long run. Some examples: 

• Developing new skills through running the community, such as property management, consensus decision-making, nonviolent communication, and universal design planning. 
• Continue or get active in groups doing community service, addressing contemporary issues of local and global betterment 
• Participating in study and book groups, music classes, yoga or tai chi, art and woodworking projects, sewing and quilting groups, and much more.
• Using the Learning in Retirement model of peer-to-peer learning and participating in study groups designed for those 50 and older.
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