Sunward Elder Care
From: Caren Albercook (calbercookyahoo.com)
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 07:37:16 -0700 (PDT)
Cohousers,
Just a follow up on Sunward's attempt at this:  The
committee (such a mixed blessing, committees) is
focussing for now, on providing ancillary care such as
one would receive in an assisted living situation.  We
are exploring Beacon Hill's model of one phone number
to a central office where research and scheduling of
service providers like housecleaning, repairs or a
home health aid could be arranged for the member. My
personal hope is for a Sunward van as well to take us
shopping, haircuts, etc. 

Beacon Hill in Boston, has roughly 200 members each
paying approximately 600$ per year for access to such
wrap around care.   Beacon Hill is just now publishing
a how to buisiness plan type guide to help the rest of
us move in their direction.  Sunward is unique in that
we have 2 sister cohousing neighborhoods just down the
hill that we may be able work with, if there is
sufficient interest.  Don't know if the model or the
numbers will pan out.  I'll keep you posted.
                 Caren

--- Saramandaia Farm <etaincr [at] yahoo.com> wrote:

> I'm in complete agreement with Martin about the US
> medical system(s),  and have run up against the
> proverbial brick wall trying to combine  solutions
> for our own long-term needs (we're 60 and 71, no
> health  problems at all) with affordable housing in
> the US and my wish to  practice medicine on a very
> part-time basis for chunks of time...kind  of like
> job-sharing/co-housing/home exchange.  This seems
> not  really to be the right forum for discussing
> personal solutions.   But I'll post anyway...maybe
> someone would like to respond off-list:)
>   
>   I'm a family doctor living outside the US (less
> expensive, less  government intrusion, and it's my
> home after 35 years here).  I  have no health
> insurance coverage in the US and couldn't afford to
> buy  a home at the prices I see in co-housing
> communities...unless we sold  what we already own,
> or I worked full-time.  We designed our lives  to
> date to be much more flexible than that.  We could
> just stay  where we are, but we also have 2 grown
> kids living in the US, and  grandchildren there
> (Seattle area).  So it's a funny situation for  us. 
> We'd like to live for several months of the year in
> a  co-housing setting.  I'm a board-certified family
> doc, US trained  and licensed,  and would enjoy
> working for a few months of the  year.  We're
> debt-free and own our own home and farm...lots of 
> land, 3 houses.    Also, we have a 16 year old
> homeschooled  daughter.  How to put that into a plan
> that suits all needs, or at  least some of them, has
> thus far escaped us.  People in the
>  US  seem REALLY bound to calendars...school
> calendars, rigid vacation  schedules; there are  few
> sabbatical-takers, not too many people  who seem
> willing to consider somewhat more radical (or
> adventurous, if  you prefer) options.  
>   
>   I see that most of the concerns on the list deal
> with either community  social problems or
> engineering/design/legal dilemmas applicable mainly 
> to the US and to people with full-time jobs,
> mortgages, and no serious  intention to change that.
>  So the thread about aging in community  is
> interesting in that it's kind of a departure from
> the mainstream  discussions.  It appealed to me
> because I could see (if I lived in  a co-housing
> community) being able to take care of people in my 
> professional capacity.  It could also mean falling
> right into the  malpractice, regulation, tight-assed
> stuff that's driving docs to leave  the field. 
> Still....maybe doctors who are actually part of the 
> co-housing community would be an answer for some...I
> know I'd be  interested. 
>   
>   I'd welcome any thoughts or recommendations of
> other lists that might  be more appropriate.  And
> thank you to the people who already  wrote with a
> few ideas.
>   
>   Sharon
>   
>   
>   
>   
>               
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