Cohousing-L Mailing List: End of life and cohousing [was: Is Senior Cohousing for Me?...

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

Marvin just replied:
> Guess I opened up a sensitive subject.

Yes, I guess you did and thank you for doing so.  These are topics that
are easier to avoid but need discussion.

I'm creating another spinoff thread "End of life and cohousing"
that Ann Zabaldo introduced on Apri 4, 2022 in her message archived at:
http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg48006.html

>a fault line in the
>social fabric of cohousing.  You are welcomed to stay as long as you can
>contribute, do the majority of the work in the community for which we are
>eternally grateful because we?d be in very sad shape without you,  but when you
>can?t be independent you?re expected to leave.  Gracefully. No fuss.
>
>What's amazing to me is that the seniors themselves believe they should depart.
> What happened to community. This is personal to me.  I've spent 23 years
>helping to build Takoma Village into the community it is now.  I am not a kid
>person but I have supported the raising of children here.  And now at the ripe
>old age of 72 I am facing a decision of what happens next?
>
>We do not create life long community in cohousing.  We create a temporary
>island that you can visit and stay for awhile but even if it's a long while ?
>you will have to leave.  How is this helpful to evolving a different way of
>living in the world that cohousing promises if in the end,  we just do what the
>rest of the society does?

>From my point of view the decline in one's ability to function and
eventual death are a natural part of life and when one can no longer
function in cohousing is a matter of time and a difficult decision
that varies a lot from person to person.  And it depends in part on
what accomodations a given community can and is willing to make.

A recent medical magaine article addressed an aspect of the issue:

Where Americans Die -- Is There Really "No Place Like Home"?
in The New England Journal of Medicine March 17, 2022
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2112297
(it has an option for 2 free articles / month)
There is also an 10 minute audio interview with the author at
https://www.nejm.org/doi/do_file/10.1056/NEJMdo006478/NEJMdo006478.mp3?area=

This is aimed at the time frame further down the timeline but may be helpful.

Fred whose timeline hopes have long been to still be bicycling when I am 80.
 As I get back on the bike as Minnesota weather is now permitting, the usual
 aches and pains of a winter without biking make me wonder if I have another
 5 years in me but I expect/hope as I bike more those concerns will fade
 as usual.

--
Fred H. Olson  Minneapolis,MN 55411  USA        (near north Mpls)
     Email:        fholson at cohousing.org      612-588-9532
My Link Pg: http://fholson.cohousing.org