The anticipation has been building, and we’re now just a month away from Coho US’s 2024 National Cohousing Conference, “Rooted in Belonging.” This year’s conference takes place in Denver, CO, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The main conference is the weekend of Aug. 2–4, with pre-conference intensives and tours starting Thursday, Aug. 1. It’s not too late to register! Find out more here.
This year’s version of the biennial conference offers several sessions focused specifically on seniors in cohousing. The following workshops will be facilitated by members of the Coho US Seniors in Cohousing Committee, with guest panelists from senior and multi-generational communities.
Matters of Membership: Orientation, Resales, Inheritance
Are you a forming community trying to attract potential members who are exploring? Do you have a structured orientation to help them (and you) understand what cohousing is about, especially senior communities? Orienting prospective members during a community’s formation — or prospective buyers of an existing unit — is a crucial part of successfully incorporating new members.
We’ll share strategies communities are developing to handle resales and issues around inheritance. If you have a resale, is your community involved or watching from the sidelines? All communities — senior and multi-generational — should think about how to handle a unit that will be inherited after a homeowner’s passing.
Starting Conversations Around Aging in Community
Hear how aging discussions are happening and aging groups are forming from members of senior and multi-generational communities. Such conversations can connect members with each other to learn and share about aging — our changing bodies and minds — and how we can age well together. Consider the fact that everyone is aging, even parents raising children. Conversations about aging well in community benefit everyone. We’ll hear about “mortality conversation starters,” lectures by local resource people, book clubs, and skill-building sessions held by some groups. Get connected to resources like Death Over Dinner and Death Cafes. We’ll consider the impact of ageism on perceptions and beliefs we hold — and that may hold us back!
Mutual Support Approaches in Cohousing
Supporting neighbors when they need help can go by several terms, such as co-care, neighborly care, mutual care, co-healing, and mutual support. In this interactive and engaging workshop, we look at several models and strategies — formalized and informal — for how members are caring for one another in senior and multi-generational communities.
For seniors, this is an essential component for aging in place successfully. It can also provide critical support to neighbors of any age who are recovering from an injury, surgery, childbirth, or short-term illnesses. Communities also need to think through how they will deal with a neighbor whose needs go beyond informal support — who may need to find professional outside assistance or even move to assisted living. Most communities try to be very clear with newcomers and prospective members that they are not assisted living homes.
Upcoming events
July 20 — Seniors in Cohousing Q&A, an informal facilitated conversation for those who are interested in senior cohousing and/or senior living in intergenerational cohousing; 10 a.m. MDT; repeats on the 20th of each month; register here: https://bit.ly/seniorcoho. Once registered, you’ll receive an email before the meeting with a link to join the call on Zoom.
August 10 — The Commons, a free monthly gathering for the cohousing curious and experts, too; 10 a.m. MDT; repeats on the 10th of each month; https://cohousinginstitute.org/courses/thecommons2023/
In addition, the Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC) offers a wide range of on-demand and rerun online courses. Check them out here.
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