Cohousing-L Mailing List: "senior cohousing" (was: Affluenza,Timeday and cohousing)

[Christine Johnson (cbmanz]

Jan, of SunWard cohousing in Ann Arbor, MI wrote: "I am in more debt 
due to joining cohousing and have investigated other  intentional 
communities.  <snip>  I am 53.  I was concerned  that the health care 
options of intentional communities that I visited would  not 
accommodate someone with, say, hemiparesis due to a stroke.  <snip> 
These concerns were a major part of my decision to  stay in cohousing."

My husband and I (60 & 52 respectively) have similar concerns about the 
financial structures of intentional communities.  We would neither want 
to be a burden nor to do we wish to have to take part in making 
difficult decisions with respect to meeting the financial health care 
costs of other residents.  We are self employed and are without medical 
insurance choosing to "go bare" after being in two private health care 
plans that issued exorbitant premium increases in the absence of any 
claims.   I think this issue of aging persons in cohousing is another 
very good argument for establishing cohousing for seniors.  Perhaps 
were there enough of us in place, we could even put together a group 
insurance plan.  The co-op my grandmother owns in Seattle has very 
specific agreements about residency for folks who are incapacitated.  
One can, given adequate resources, end ones days on site without 
significant health care expenditures assuming the choice of 
hospice/dying at home and the availability of in home care.   Of 
course, whether in cohousing or intentional community, we're all going 
to die so best to have thought it through in advance to make the ride 
as graceful as can be managed.

Christine Johnson
Bastrop, Texas 
 

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