Cohousing-L Mailing List: Sunday - Conference

[George Marx (gmarx]

Sunday - was a short Conference Day for me - but certainly as meaningful
and wonderful as the first two days.   Having gone on the 9 community tour
on Friday and wanting time at home with our son, we didn't go to the open
houses in the afternoon.

Sunday morning's small group session on Addressing the Needs of Older
People in Cohousing was one of the highpoints of the Conference for me!
Fortunately, we bought a tape of it, so we will be able to look at it
again.   I hope that some of us who attended will dialogue more on some of
the many issues which were brought up.   Mary Zoeller's (Berkeley)
perspective as a senior cohouser was clear and lovely!     Nick Meima
(Sunward, Ann Arbor) brought in various issues related to aging which have
come up in his professional life.   Chuck was a wonderful moderator and
insightful presenter.   

This session was particularly meaningful because of the active
participation of so many of us who were a part of the workshop.     We
listened and shared our experiences and thoughts.   The ideas put forth by
several related to "assisted living"  within communities and how our needs
as we get older for community with physical and emotional support were
loving and insightful.   The idea, where possible, of having assisted
living units attached to the common house later as needed (as Sunward has
planned) is great!   This workshop showed how we all need to make future
and current communities accessible and welcoming of aging and differently
abled people.

The closing panel was a great blend of differing perspectives and a fitting
conclusion to the Conference!   Stella Tarnay's concerns of cohousing
developing in the future into a place where people like her father (a
Republican!) and her brother (a hunter/etc.) and others who aren't White,
liberal, aging, upper-middle class, shoppers at Whole Earth Foods etc. -
would fit in with many of us - eloquently expressed what I felt was lacking
at times in the Conference (us as cohousers and potential cohousers -
adapting to others' needs and feelings - who aren't "like us").   I hope
her part of the session will be in a future issue of the Cohousing Journal
- or elsewhere so more of us will read its words!

Future - Conference planners - will have both a good model - and a great
challenge - in creating future conferences as wonderful as Berkeley 2001 -
was for me!   Thanks to all who made it so wonderful!

George Marx, Alameda, California - responses/criticisms - most welcome - on
the list and privately. 
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