The Full Significance of “It Takes A Village” is Gradually Becoming Recognized

It’s encouraging that discussions about care, health, support, and mutual aid are increasingly mentioning cohousing as relevant. In the June issue of The American Prospect, Rhoda Feng has an article titled: “It Takes a Village for Elder Care, Too.”

https://prospect.org/culture/books/2023-05-26-it-takes-a-village-elder-care-kenway-review

Many seniors are aware of recent research that suggests loneliness is at least as damaging to health as tobacco or obesity. As they look for ways to stay socially engaged, having shared living spaces and regular common meals just steps from their own home can make a huge difference. Distinctive features of cohousing make it easier for those with health challenges to stay in place longer. Nearby neighbors can easily pick up groceries. For medical or self-care support, neighbors can join together to hire a single caregiver.

Senior cohousing communities like Altair currently aren’t designed to provide intensive care. But if we create villages that demonstrate the collective advantages of aging-in-place, communitarian solutions might eventually become recognized as superior to, more humane than, assisted living and nursing home institutions. Meanwhile, cohousing residents feel fortunate to be able to benefit from the fostered interdependence and mutual aid that characterizes their modern re-implementation of the age-old supportive local village!