JAN. 29, 2007

SOCIETY
Senior cohousing: retiring stereotypes, rethinking community

Interest is growing in cohousing, a small, village-like arrangement of homes that allows for privacy but also promotes community. Cohousing began in Denmark and spread to the United States in the 1990s; it has particular appeal for seniors because it provides a supportive community in which people can stay in their own homes as they age.

Another part of cohousing’s appeal is a set of associated values, frequently articulated in a community’s vision. This kind of community attracts people who want to be engaged with their neighbors and to build and live green, practices that some consider spiritual elements of a lifestyle that respects neighbors and honors the Earth. Some cohousing developments have more explicit spiritual elements, such as founding principles that stress spiritual development or the spiritual value of service to others.

Those already involved in cohousing say they are getting inquiries from across the country, and 200 projects are complete or under way in 37 states.

Jump to:
How to find cohousing communities
Definitions
Angles for reporters
National sources
Background

Why it matters

In the next 20 years, 78 million people will reach retirement age. Cohousing and other new and creative living arrangements will likely become more widely available as this group ages. Cohousing offers an opportunity for people to care for others, an eminently spiritual value.

How to find cohousing communities

• The Cohousing Association of the U.S. posts a list of communities across the country, including Web links.
• The January 2007 issue of Cohousing Magazine has a map that locates 200 cohousing projects in the United States in 37 states.
• The Gerontological Society of America can make local expert referrals on the subjects of housing (see keyword code 440) and religion (see keyword code 750). Contact 202-842-1275 ext. 142, tkluss@geron.org.

Definitions

Cohousing, according to the Cohousing Association of the U.S. in Boulder, Colo., is characterized by resident input into design, layout that encourages community, private residences and a common facility, participatory government by residents and separate income for members. Cohousing developments are also usually designed to be environmentally sensitive and employ green building techniques. People attracted to cohousing generally share certain values, prizing community above all. Some cohousing developments describe their common values as spiritual.

Elder cohousing is intended for people 55 and older, based on the same principles as cohousing. The Elder Cohousing Network, an offshoot of the Cohousing Association, has 3,500 people in its database.

Both cohousing and elder cohousing are types of intentional communities, groups of people whose living arrangements reflect a common vision. The Fellowship for Intentional Community, a network of information and resources for people living in intentional community, includes a variety of living arrangements, including cohousing. The FIC Web site lists intentional communities existing and forming around the world.

Angles for reporters

Gerontology experts have a wide variety of concerns about aging, from medical to spiritual. Priority issues vary with local demographics. This topic can be explored from both the seniors angle and the housing angle.
• As you scope out what issues are most relevant for your local population of seniors, where does spirituality fit in? How about housing? Are existing religious congregations providing lots of support for seniors? How have senior homes run by religious organizations – Jewish, Catholic and other – evolved over the years? What about social service agencies aimed at seniors? How about retirement homes, which are both growing and changing to provide a continuum of support? What about local real estate agents, who might be working with seniors who are moving and downsizing?
• One trend in senior housing aims at the “active adult” market of people age 55 and over. If you have such developments in your area, how involved are their residents in community life? How do residents at these developments meet their spiritual needs?
• Since cohousing is a relatively new model of housing, some cohousing proposals have faced problems with local planning and zoning rules. Have local planning authorities entertained proposals from developers interested in innovative senior housing? Have any local congregations begun investigating this area? Catholic, Unitarian and Quaker faith groups have been among those drawn to cohousing.
• The social concerns of some faith groups involved in housing make affordability of housing a priority. Most cohousing is developed at market rate prices, although some projects include subsidized or lower-cost units. A few developments are expressly designed to serve lower-income residents. The question of affordability can present challenges for planners and residents and may be relevant for your area.
• Some nursing homes are beginning to rethink how they provide care for residents, looking at new models such as the Green House that provide more homelike settings. This too is part of a cultural change of values associated with aging. It employs some of the same values associated with cohousing.

Click the map for interview sources in your state and region

National sources

• Drew Leder, a medical doctor who teaches philosophy at Loyola College in Maryland, authored Spiritual Passages: Embracing Life’s Sacred Journey (Tarcher/Putnam, 1997) and has written extensively on aging and spirituality. He has examined elder spirituality in a variety of religious traditions and has consulted with the ElderSpirit Community in Abingdon, Va. Contact 410-617-2325, dleder@loyola.edu.
• Charles Durrett is an architect in Nevada City, Calif., who with his wife and business partner, Kathryn McCamant, has championed cohousing in the United States. McCamant & Durrett Architects has designed cohousing and senior cohousing. Durrett’s books on cohousing include Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living (Ten Speed Press, 2005). He says the most important value for cohousing members is community. Contact 530-265-9980, charles.durrett@cohousing.com.
• Neshama Abraham is a principal in the cohousing consulting firm Abraham Paiss & Associates, cofounder of the Elder Cohousing Network and spokeswoman for the Cohousing Association of the U.S., all based in Boulder, Colo. She is familiar with many of the projects being developed and says that living in community is an important spiritual practice. Contact 303-413-8066.
• Rick Mockler is vice president of CoHousing Partners, a cohousing development firm in Davis, Calif. He has a master’s degree in liberation theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He lives in Muir Commons, the first new-construction cohousing community in the U.S. Contact 530-297-7115.
• Chris ScottHanson is a development consultant with Cohousing Resources, a cohousing consulting firm in Langley, Wash. The firm is working on projects in Massachusetts and Oakland, Calif., and has recently completed consulting for projects in Kansas and Vermont. Contact 360-321-7850, chris@cohousingresources.com.
• Stephen Golant is a geographer at the University of Florida-Gainesville who specializes in gerontology and housing arrangements for senior citizens. He has written or edited more than 100 papers or books on the subject. Contact 352-392-0494 ext. 218, golant@geog.ufl.edu.
• The Retirement Research Foundation in Chicago promotes elder-friendly communities. It funded a project to replicate the ElderSpirit Community in Abingdon, Va., in other areas and provided some development money for the community. Marilyn Hennessy is president. Contact 773-714-8080 ext. 205.
• The work of the Sage-ing Guild is inspired by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, co-author of From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older (Warner, 1995). A leader in the Jewish renewal movement, Schachter-Shalomi developed an influential model of late-life spiritual growth that the Sage-ing Guild is now promoting. Contact Schachter-Shalomi, zalmans@comcast.net. Gary Carlson of Albuquerque, N.M., is on the guild’s coordinating circle, which includes regional coordinators and conducts activities nationwide. Contact Carlson, 505-897-1850, communications@sage-ingguild.org.
• Harry R. Moody is director of the Office of Academic Affairs at AARP. He edits the Human Values in Aging Newsletter and is an excellent trend-spotter. Contact 202-434-6360, academicaffairs@aarp.org.
• Dr. William H. Thomas received the Heinz Award in 2006 for his work in transforming nursing homes using models he has developed that emphasize caring community. Contact him through the Eden Alternative in Wimberly, Texas, 512-847-6061.
• Leigh Eric Schmidt teaches religion and chairs the religion department at Princeton University. He wrote Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality From Emerson to Oprah (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005) and can speak about expressions of American spirituality, including their role in 19^th-century communal living arrangements. Contact 609-259-5285, leschmid@princeton.edu.

Background

• The Cohousing Association of the U.S. posts links to news articles about cohousing.
• Read an Oct. 2, 2006, Wall Street Journal article (reprinted at Wonderland Hill Development Co.) about new kinds of retirement living arrangements for aging baby boomers, including cohousing.
• An Oct. 23, 2006, Time magazine article visits elder cohousing developments.
• The American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging hold annual joint conferences; sessions planned for the March 7-10, 2007, conference in Chicago include “Rethinking Housing and Community Design for the 50+ Population” and “Elder: A Spiritual Alternative to Being Elderly.”
• A recent religion-related study by The Gerontological Society of America showed that people who provide support in church-based social relationships tend to live longer.
• The White House holds a Conference on Aging every 10 years, from which policy themes and directions emerge. The 2005 Conference theme was “The Booming Dynamics of Aging,” addressing the 78 million aging baby boomers. Each state sent representatives to the conference. A final report was issued in June 2006.
• The U.S. Administration on Aging within the Department of Health & Human Services is responsible for concerns related to aging. AoA has a searchable database.
• For more resources on seniors and spirituality, see this Feb. 2, 2004, ReligionLink tip: “Keeping up with the aging: Is religion ready?”