Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Number of "users" in Senior Cohousing

[Joel Bartlett (altairecovillage]

Sharon,

Our friend Pat O'Connor lived at Riverwood. She is now in assisted living.
My wife and I performed there several years ago, so I'm familiar with the
community.

Thanks for your input,
Yours, Joel

On Mon, Dec 1, 2025 at 2:00 PM Sharon Villines via Cohousing-L <
cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

> Unless you are unusual, I think using the numbers from senior communities
> of whatever persuasion would be the best guide. And I second the caution
> that the ability to include people younger than your cut-off is quite
> probably related to other requirements that will mean that only households
> with at least one member over 55 or 60 will be living in the unit. Other
> requirements will preclude children under a certain age from living there
> more than a month or two at a time.
>
> Averages in senior communities are probably the best predictor unless
> there is something about your project that is unique.  After 25 years in
> Takoma Village Cohousing,  I moved to Riderwood Senior Village last May,
> and I just received the latest resident numbers.
>
> Riderwood is one of a network of 20 senior communities in 11 states owned
> or managed by Erickson Senior Living — a total of 30,000 residents.
> Riderwood, if not the largest, is the almost largest senior living
> community in the US. As of November 2025:
>
> 2,487 residents — 1639 women and 848 men. Staff is harder to count since
> so many are part-time college students. The general statement is that
> Riderwood is a community of about 3,000 people.
>
> Aged 60-74    6.8%
> Aged 75-84  43.7%
> Aged 95-99    6.0%
> Aged 100+     1.5%
>
> 87.6% in 1,767 Independent Living Apartments
> 8.5% in Assisted Living
> 2.7% in Skilled Nursing
> 1.3% in Memory Care
>
> In 2012, Riderwood began combining apartments to reach a “right-size” mix
> of 70% two-bedroom units and 30% one-bedroom units. Some have terraces,
> balconies, etc. “Independent Living Apartments” are like cohousing. Full
> but smaller kitchens.
>
> This year, Riderwood achieved a record-high occupancy rate of 97.3% after
> a low of 91.2% during the pandemic. There has been pressure on the memory
> care unit, and some floors of the independent living buildings have been
> converted. The idea was to build another building, not on the same campus,
> but the resounding response was "NO! We came here so we could be together."
>
> One of the attractions of Riderwood is that couples can plan on both being
> in the same place as they age, particularly when one is 10-20 years
> younger. One of my friends here is in her 70s, and her husband is in his
> 90s. Neither can predict the future except that they can still be together.
> Another couple had planned to move to assisted living together this year,
> but one needed skilled nursing. Because this is a continuing care
> residence, they are still near each other.
>
> Not only near each other, but also near friends in the same environment
> with the same cultural events and activities. Same restaurants, libraries,
> exercise rooms, staff, etc. It is very busy here. Cohousing was a good
> preparation. Riderwood is cohousing times 100. There are five
> neighborhoods, each with a common house and 4 residential buildings.
>
> In 25 years at Takoma Village there was no way to predict whether a
> 4-bedroom or a 1-bedroom with a den would have 1 or 2 residents or more.
> The difference here is the same. Some two-bedrooms have 2 people, and some
> have 1. Same for one bedrooms.
>
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Riderwood Village, Silver Spring MD
> Following 25 years in Takoma Village, Washington DC
>
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