Cohousing-L Mailing List: Portland area! Aging Successfully Study Group One

[Laurie Sonnenfeld (lauriesonnenfeld]

Starts this Sunday June 11, 6 to 8 pm.

*What do you want your living situation to be as you get older? *

Do you want to own and shape how you will live out your life? Want to
maintain sovereignty and agency in your life as long as possible?

Many boomers want something different than a conventional retirement
community or care setting.
I'm leading a study group starting June 11, "Solutions for Aging
Successfully." Together we will explore what aging well could look like and
take steps towards creating that vision.

The first aging "study group 1's" were held in Denmark (where cohousing
originated in the 1980s). Our group is not exclusively focused on cohousing
but it will be one of the options considered and explored.
We will be using a book titled "Senior Cohousing, Study Group 1, Aging
Successfully" by Charles Durrett with Jean Nilsson. Charles wrote the first
book in the US about cohousing, and many more since then. He has been the
architect for 55 cohousing communities. I took his "training for trainers"
Study Group One last fall.  "Many in the early Danish classes felt that
older adults were being institutionalized too early, either because they
were lonely and isolated or needed minor assistance. ... While most elders
had prepared wills, they had neglected to consider where they would get
social support if their spouses died or if they lost the ability to drive.
They began to explore the challenges and opportunities of aging in place,
and the inherent advantages of being part of a close-knit community."

We will look at our today needs, issues, experiences and desires, and
future needs and desires. We'll work with the chapters of the book to "get
out of denial" about our future.  In addition to cohousing and co-ops as
options, we will look at the "Village" movement and what it may have to
offer in terms of resources for successfully aging in place.

Personally, I am excited about fostering the development of some
alternatives to existing Portland aging options, and want to explore what
is happening in the rest of the country and Canada as regards cohousing and
other alternatives. I love the concept of being able to share supportive
caregivers and other resources, and dream of a senior community nestled
alongside a multi-generational community. We'll also consider the "cottage
cluster" a newer type of development that many municipalities in our area
are now allowing, which may be a more flexible and hospitable approach to
building communities.

Want to know more? or be added to the list for a future group?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Please email lauriesonnenfeld [at] gmail.com, or phone or text 503-750-1630.