Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Promoting Health & Self-Care in Cohousing

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On 5 Jul 2012, at 2:40 PM, Bob Morrison wrote:

> 1. What is your coho community doing now that promotes health, prevention [of 
> disease], and personal responsibility for health? 

One of the problems with this is that it gets into personal space. People don't 
want their neighbors in their face with advice. 

When the Caring in Place idea was raised in a Board meeting,  it met with 
fairly vehement objections from one of the households for which it was 
intended. "If you mean us, don't put us on your list. We are doing fine 
ourselves."

One thing that has worked here is for one member to be the contact for the 
distressed household, formally or informally, to covey information and organize 
meals, transportation, etc. Then everyone can be informed without a deluge of 
questions or stopping by when it is not helpful.

Two cancer patients have done this and it was particularly helpful to all of 
us. Another with an acting out teenager.




Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org