Cohousing-L Mailing List: Senior Cohousing versus seniors in Mixed-Age Cohousing

[Marika MOOYMAN (marika1952]

To add to the discussion about seniors in mixed-age communities, I would say 
from my experience that the more varied the ages living in community the better 
balance and sharing of skills and time, and therefore the more successful and 
happier the community.  I am 56, a single parent of a 7 year old, and live in a 
community where there is no one over 60 (Ashland, Oregon).  Nine out of the 14 
homes are families with young kids, four are singles in their 50s without kids, 
and there's one young couple without kids.  Realizing that this is a small 
cohousing community, it does feel very skewed toward families with kids all in 
the same age-range.  Meaning we're all in the same developmental life cycle 
with the same challenges re time, energy and resources required to manage life 
with kids. I think having various ages along the entire continuum ultimately 
provides more balance: the young need the old and vice versa.  Many of us, 
including me, don't have active grandparents in the lives of our children, and 
I was hoping cohousing would meet that need.  There's just something about 
elder "wisdom."  

I also believe, as someone else has mentioned with the insulation project, that 
having various ages in the community is extremely helpful in the sharing of 
skills.  Even at 56, I just do not have the energy or stamina to do the kinds 
of activities that the folks in their 20s are able to contribute.  An all 
senior cohousing community would just need to be more conscious of the amount 
of physical labor that might need to be hired out.
Marika