Cohousing For Seniors: A Solution for Today
Charles Durrett is busy. He has been designing, teaching and building cohousing communities in the United States since he brought the concept here from Denmark with Kathryn McCamant some three decades ago, but this year things are different. “Instead of working on demonstrating the value of cohousing, our firm is occupied keeping pace with a number of communities under development. I’m also just completing a new book to help others initiate their own cohousing community.” observes, Durrett.
Cohousing is just now really hitting its stride in the United States. The US Cohousing Association reports that there are currently 165 established cohousing communities with another 140 forming. Durrett himself is working on a dozen projects in the United States and Canada in different stages of development.
Cohousing is a planned community consisting of private homes clustered around shared space. While each attached or single family home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen, there are shared spaces that reflect each community—often with shared community kitchen, lodge house, gardens and outdoor spaces. The legal structure is typically a homeowner association or housing cooperative. The Cohousing Company (TCC) designed the first US cohousing community in Davis, California, completed in 1991.
Affordable living and sustainable housing concerns are major issues confronting every age group in America today. Healthy, educated, proactive adults want to live in a social and environmentally responsible community. They also seek to maintain a quality lifestyle while stretching their dollars further into the future. Millennials looking for homes are finding traditional single family homes out of reach. Durrett is seeing family and specific populations building their own lifestyle-based housing, like LGBT Senior Cohousing in Village Hearth Cohousing in Durham, North Carolina, a community Durrett has helped initiate. This will be the first LGBT senior cohousing project in the US, and maybe anywhere.
Village Hearth Cohousing celebrated their groundbreaking. Photography by Luke Hirst.
Writer Pamela Biery caught up with Durrett and quizzed him on the “hows and whys” of 50+ cohousing.
Q: What are some of the unique characteristics of 50+ cohousing communities? A: One word: proactive. These communities are filled with individuals who are choosing to take control of their destinies through planning, not leaving things up to chance. For instance, accommodations are made for shared caregivers to live on site and long-term mobility and access issues are examined. Just the process of thinking things through as a group changes cohousing participants, preparing them with realistic views of their future. Q: What are some mature adult cohousing benefits?
A: Emotional well being, saving money through shared services and community and maintaining independence for much longer than is commonly possible. Today, more Americans live alone in their later years, a significant health concern. This is a reflection of our culture, and one that we have the power to change. New York University sociology professor Eric Klinenberg notes that social attitudes need to progress so older people can stay connected as they age.
“Our society is evolving quickly, but probably not quickly enough.”
The biggest cohousing benefit for any community is living with kindred and having a number of close friendships. But it cannot be overlooked that cohousing costs significantly less than other senior facilities and gives the longest possible independent lifestyle—good for living a full life and conserving financial resources.
Q: How does cohousing reduce an individual’s carbon footprint?
A: Cohousing takes an individual out of the single home mindset. Top of mind: better lifestyle, greener lifestyle. Seniors realize that it’s really okay to leave their ranchette and move closer to town knowing they will be living with people they are comfortable with and that they are creating a home they can easily maintain for the next 20+ years. Americans drive some 5 billion miles caring for seniors in their homes (Meals on Wheels, Whistle Stop Nurses, and so on). In our small, semi-rural county in the Sierra foothills, on-demand buses alone has made 60,000 trips in massive, lumbering, polluting vans-buses – usually carrying only one senior at a time – schlepping a couple thousand seniors total over hill and dale to doctor’s appointments, to pick up medicine, or to see friends. In our cohousing community of 21 seniors, I have never seen a single on-demand bus in the driveway. In cohousing it happens organically by caring neighbors: “Can I catch a ride with you?” or “Are you headed to the drug store?” This alternative is much more fun and inexpensive for all involved, and much less damaging to the environment. Site location that allows for walkable lifestyles is a large factor, as well. Wolf Creek Lodge, a senior cohousing community with 30 units, built on 1 acre, is within walking distance of downtown Grass Valley, population 12,000. Nevada City Cohousing is also a short stroll to the downtown historic district. Cohousing is a mind shift that is not just greener—it makes a better life.
Residents at Wolf Creek Lodge celebrate birthdays with one another!
Q: How would cohousing affect my retirement planning?
A: Cohousing is a proactive, realistic way of addressing issues. It's an ultra-responsible approach to assessing how to provide for one’s own future. Everyone in the process is dealing with understanding that mortality is real and that aging successfully means examining the whole person benefits—economic, emotional and physical well being.
Cohousers choose to place themselves in a fun, life-affirming and embracing community. The big thing here is that by living independently longer, money is saved at every juncture, so by taking control, resources can go much further. Turns out that an independent, quality life costs less than facilitated retirement.
Q: What kind of start-up process is involved?
A: First off, contact a cohousing company. They will find out what considerations and requirement are needed for your specific area. They will also be able to guide you in forming a group. Next, read the book. Then start talking to friends. Host a presentation in your town, secure a site. You may already know some of your new cohousing neighbors.
—Charles Durrett
Learn More About Cohousing
Hear Charles Durrett Speak at The National Cohousing Conference May 30-June 2, 2019 at the Downtown Portland Hilton.
Watch for his new book, profiling the successful development of Quimper Village Cohousing in Port Townsend, Washington and see other cohousing books here.
Cohousing events and speaking engagements, along with news on developing communities, can be found here.
Sign up for Cohousing Co. news and occasional updates, including the new book release, with the working title, Quimper Village Cohousing: How 40 Seniors Made A New Neighborhood to Suite Their Real Needs.
A New Look at Getting Older: Inspiring Adults 55+ at the Northeast Cohousing Conference
Wolf Creek Lodge, Grass Valley, CA. Architecture by McCamant & Durrett Architects
Older adults are discovering the value of taking control of their lives. Socially, financially, and environmentally it makes sense to live near people who care about you, but until you can work with others to create this scenario, it is just a good idea and nothing else. Senior cohousing communities, and groups inspired by cohousing, grow from that need to move things forward into a collective of organized and forward-thinking activists. The result far exceeds expectations, in many cases.
Being organized is being in control. While senior living facilities are taking steps to support their residents more than ever before, they still cannot offer what senior cohousing groups can. One way to begin this process is by taking Study Group 1 (Chapter 7 of The Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community Approach to Independent Living ). After SG1, senior cohousing groups go through a series of workshops which develop cohesiveness and clarity within, along with setting expectations and later co-designing the community of their dreams. It is important to note at this point that none of this can happen without the group being on the same page and out of denial. Cohousing communities aren’t created by one visionary, but by many who share in the vision and, through consensus and being prepared, can decide what is best for all.
The result is a neighborhood that not only symbolizes their desire to take an active role in their aging scenario, but also their commitment to supporting, listening to, and living in community with each other. Learn more about senior cohousing at the Northeast Regional Cohousing Conference September 21 – 23, 2018. Cohousing expert, Charles Durrett, will lead Senior Cohousing 101, an all-day intensive exploring an effective solution to senior housing.
The intensive is limited to 20 people, so early registration is encouraged. Sign up here:
https://cohousingassociationoftheunite.regfox.com/northeast-cohousing-summit
Senior Cohousing 101 will explore the senior cohousing movement, both concept and its history, and why it is gaining popularity and proving to be a great solution to the senior housing challenge in the U.S. today. Participants will view examples of senior cohousing communities and, through group activities and discussion, will discover solutions for supporting themselves and their community age in place successfully.
For more information and an in-depth look at senior cohousing, Durrett and McCamant & Durrett Architects will be hosting an online facilitator training for Study Group 1 Aging Successfully. This 10-week course will begin Oct 10 with meetings once per week to learn how to organize local efforts for seniors, by seniors, in their area. Those interested in becoming a facilitator should contact Lindy at lindy.sexton@cohousingco.com.
Impact of Senior Cohousing
Silver Sage Senior Cohousing, Boulder, CO. Architecture by McCamant & Durrett Architects
There is a senior housing crisis in this country. In the United States, traditional senior housing options aren’t meeting the needs of older adults. Many attempts to put seniors in community have proven to work short term, but funding and employee retention continue to strain these organizations. Senior support, like Meals on Wheels, drains local economies and is constantly at risk of being dropped, which could leave seniors without access to proper nutrition and socialization. These services are also offered at the expense of the environment as vehicles drive hundreds of miles each day to bring services to older adults living alone, in their big ranch houses. As the population gets older, we are running out of options. One solution, senior cohousing, cohousing for adults 55+, has proven to mitigate loneliness and provide support to keep older adults in their homes for longer without draining government resources, and those are just some of the perks.
Older adults around the United States (and around the world) are making a strong case for why living in a high functioning community is important to them, economically, physically, emotionally, and socially. What seniors need (and want) is to be in the driver seat, to take control of their aging scenario. What they desire is to create their own community. Senior cohousing is gaining popularity, meeting the needs of seniors internationally, and is proving to be a solution to housing seniors in the neighborhoods of their dreams, supported by their neighbors and friends.
Mountain View Cohousing, Mountain View, CA. Architecture by McCamant & Durrett Architects
As a national leader and innovator, Charles Durrett has dedicated his career to creating cohousing neighborhoods, including a dozen senior cohousing. His book, “The Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community Approach to Independent Living is an invaluable resource used by cohousing groups around the world and his continued dedication to appropriately housing older adults propels much of his life’s work. Durrett will be leading an all-day intensive Senior Cohousing 101 at the Northeast Cohousing Conference on September 21, 2018. Participants will learn about cohousing, discuss challenges in senior housing, and explore why senior cohousing just makes sense. The intensive is open to 20 people so early sign up is highly encouraged.
Register at: https://cohousingassociationoftheunite.regfox.com/northeast-cohousing-summit
We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information and an in-depth look at senior cohousing, Durrett and McCamant & Durrett Architects will be hosting an online facilitator training for Study Group 1 Aging Successfully. This 10-week course will begin Oct 10 with meetings once per week to learn how to organize local efforts for seniors, by seniors, in their area. Those interested in becoming a facilitator should contact Lindy at lindy.sexton@cohousingco.com.
Retirement Communities Lure Boomers With Eco-Friendly Message
Retirement Communities Lure Boomers With Eco-Friendly Message
More 55-plus developments are promoting their energy efficiency—and they say retirees are willing to pay the price
Published in the Wall Street Journal on April 22, 2018. By Julie Halpert.
Tennis, golf and an attractive clubhouse have long been staples in the universe of 55-plus communities selling an active lifestyle to retirees.
But a growing number of such communities are trying a different message directly geared toward baby boomers: highlighting the eco-friendly features of their developments.
As boomers retire, downsize, or just look for new homes that better fit their current needs, more 55-plus communities are competing based on features like solar panels, water reclamation, energy-efficient appliances, and windows with low-reflective glass, says Samantha Reid, a spokeswoman for 55places.com, an online resource for information on active-adult communities.
Houses with eco-friendly designs may cost more than similar homes without them. But developers of 55-plus communities say many baby boomers are willing to pay the price.
Jeff McQueen, president of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Shea Homes Active Lifestyle Communities, a division of privately held Shea Homes, says his company makes a considerable effort to design and build energy-efficient homes, based on an internal study of boomers that indicated 50% desired energy-efficient and sustainable features in their homes.
Consider Mary Anne Graf, age 70, and her husband, Paul, 71, who bought a home in a Shea Homes Trilogy-branded 55-plus community in Denver, N.C., last August for $515,000. The Grafs paid more than they would have in slightly less-expensive active-adult communities, in part because of a $29,000 solar-energy package. But they say they chose their home partly because of that solar option.
“We’ve been very satisfied and love the solar,” says Ms. Graf. The Grafs’ average electric bill is $36 a month for their 1,850-square-foot home. “We’re saving ourselves money and benefiting the environment.”
Similarly, at Robson Resort Communities , a company focused on 55-plus buyers in Arizona and Texas, Chief Financial Officer Steve Soriano says his company’s research shows more than a third of its prospective buyers seek an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly home. All new homes in Robson’s Sun Lakes, Ariz., development are Energy Star-certified, a federal measure of high energy efficiency that takes into account such features as insulation, building materials and window types.
Robson communities also design their landscaping and golf courses to reduce water runoff and evaporation, and have their own wastewater-treatment plants that reclaim and reuse water. According to the company, the use of reclaimed water reduces the cost of irrigating the golf course and community landscaping for each community by 50%.
Environmentally friendly designs have become necessary to compete, says Marshall Gobuty, developer and majority owner of Mirabella, a 55-plus community under construction in Bradenton, Fla. To that end, Mr. Gobuty and other developers are increasingly pursuing so called LEED certification, an official stamp of approval from the U.S. Green Building Council that says a building or development meets the council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. LEED certification requires meeting a long list of conditions, including proximity to transportation, water efficiency, energy usage and sustainable materials. Mirabella has received LEED certification for all of the 90 villas it has built so far (out of a total 160 to be built.) Energy-efficient features in the villas include LED lighting, double-pane vinyl windows and extensive insulation. For the last 25 homes to be built, there also will be a community charging station for electric vehicles and solar panels.
Mahesh Ramanujam, president and chief executive of the U.S. Green Building Council, says his organization has seen a steady uptick in 55-plus communities seeking LEED certification in recent years. Last year, 24 developments received LEED certification, and 16 are already in the process so far this year, he says. Mr. Ramanujam says his group expects that the number of projects being certified will double each year over the next five years.
LEED-certified projects see an average 25% reduction in energy costs, says Mr. Ramanujam. At Mirabella, Mr. Gobuty says LEED certification has added 12% to 14% to each certified home’s cost. But, again, in the company’s view, that extra cost pays for itself. All but 22 of the project’s planned 160 villas have been sold.
Mr. Gobuty says he is also developing a 55-plus community in Ellenton, Fla., that will feature 600 net-zero-energy homes, a type of home that is largely energy-self-sufficient. In net-zero-energy homes, the total amount of energy used in a year roughly equals the amount of energy created on site—mostly through use of solar panels. Thus, in theory, depending on the utility, residents of net-zero-energy homes may not have to pay an electric bill.
Meanwhile, it isn’t just 55-plus communities that are focusing on green living. There is also a growing movement in senior housing known as cohousing, in which homeowners have their own units but share a common living space and other resources. Currently, there are about a dozen senior cohousing communities in the U.S., according to the Cohousing Association of the U.S.
Charles Durrett, a Nevada City, Calif., architect who specializes in cohousing units, says “living lighter on the planet” is a big goal for every senior cohousing community he encounters. At Village Hearth Cohousing , under construction in Durham, N.C., homes will be clustered on 15 acres, preserving 10 acres of green space.
Pat McAulay, a member of that community, says that although boomers have always valued environmental sustainability, “a lot of us ended up walking the normal corporate path. ”Cohousing,” Ms. McAulay says, “gives us the chance to go back to those things that were really important to us when we were younger. It gives us a chance to redeem ourselves.”
Ms. Halpert is a writer in Michigan. Email her at reports@wsj.com.
Create Senior Cohousing for Yourself (Psst! Here's How)
Living and growing older in community is gaining popularity for many important reasons. The alternative, living alone is expensive and more taxing on the environment (as compared to living in community and sharing resources). The resources that older adults need (or will need), like Meals on Wheels, are scarce or poorly funded. Loneliness and isolation is just as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. There is a revolution taking place and it’s proving to be a solution to our ever-looming challenge of housing adults 55 and older. This revolution, senior cohousing, is a movement to not only live in community, but to be proactive about one’s future, living in a place that is supportive. No matter how young you are, now is the time to take an active role in your aging process.
Mountain View Cohousing, Mountain View, CA
That sounds great, right? It might even inspire you to pick up a copy of The Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community Approach to Independent Living, but what happens next? How do we move from dream to reality? Talking about solutions is futile if there is no action. Not walking-the-talk leads to frustration and, in many cases, wasted time and money. Action is needed and that is why McCamant & Durrett Architects and Quimper Village are joining forces to host a weekend intensive workshop on June 15, 16, and 17 on Bainbridge Island, WA.
Over three days, participants will spend time with cohousing expert Charles “Chuck” Durrett (McCamant & Durrett Architects) and the residents of Quimper Village, a Senior Cohousing group in Port Townsend, WA, learning how the Quimper Village Group made their project happen. In a small, intimate setting Quimper Villagers will discuss with participants what they did, how they did it, and lessons learned. Time will be spent talking about the financial, legal, and social considerations, plus how groups can market their project where they live. Those who attend will tour Quimper Village, meet the residents, and join them for common lunch.
What makes this different from other cohousing conferences? Cohousing Conferences are great for people to get a taste of what cohousing is. They offer perspectives across the board from people who are living in cohousing to those who are new to the concept. The feedback we hear from people who attend is that the information provided at the conferences is inspiring, but for those who already know about cohousing, it doesn’t get deep enough. Others are overwhelmed with theory and not enough action. Those interested aren’t getting the tools they need to actualize their projects. We’ve listened to your concerns and have designed the June Weekend Intensive to respond to them.
This is your opportunity to share your project with others — challenges, insights, and more — and get your questions answered by those who have successfully gone through the process of creating their own Senior Cohousing Community. Along with members of Quimper Village, Chuck will walk through how they would get cohousing in your town, if they were living there. Every voice will be heard, and all scenarios considered.
Silver Sage Cohousing, Boulder, CO
Concerned that you’re not old enough? The benefits of Senior Cohousing are best felt by those who live there and are part of it. By moving into a senior cohousing community before you need real assistance, you give yourself time to ease into it, to create bonds, to plan ahead with others. You are more willing to help your neighbor than a stranger, right? In cohousing, you have several neighbors each contributing the health of their community. Why would you want to wait for this when you can have it now?
“Cohousing is so much more than a sound bite,” says Chuck, cohousing architect and owner of McCamant & Durrett Architects, “this weekend will be all about setting older adults up for success in their hometown.”
The Senior Cohousing Weekend Intensive is open to 20 people who are ready to get their senior cohousing project going. If you have been thinking about starting your own senior cohousing, if you are looking for a site, or if you have a small group of interested people who are talking about living in a supportive neighborhood where you have a balance of private and community, then this is for you!
“I’m amazed at how people help each other out with immediate needs and take on tasks that they see need be done without being asked first. Although there are differences of opinion, it’s not acrimonious. We’re learning how to make it work,” says Pat Hundhausen, resident of Quimper Village, as she talks about how she is settling into cohousing. Pat helped to make Quimper Village a reality and will be one of the key moderators during the June event.
Finally, an opportunity to talk about solutions! The chance to work directly with cohousing experts and with cohousing residents on your project doesn’t happen every day. Think about your future, a future that’s more supportive, more economical, more environmentally-friendly, and more fun. Sign up for the Senior Cohousing Weekend Intensive before April 28 to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount!
More information at www.cohousingco.com/events/seniorintensive2018.