The Golden Girls, NBC Comedy 1985 – 1992
Where and how do I want to live? Every one of us faces this question sooner or later, maybe just once or, presumably, many times in our lives. Two things in the past weeks triggered me to write down some of my thoughts. First, stumbling upon the series The Golden Girls and being reminded of our childhood plans to live just like them when we are as old. Second, a current exhibition in Vienna, titled Growing Older – Individual Living in the Centre for Architecture displayed multiple housing projects for older citizens currently developed in Vienna.
The Golden Girls don’t ring any bells? It was an American comedy series, some even say it was sitcom genius, starring four older ladies, sharing an apartment and their lives together. While this is not supposed to be an analysis of the series, nor its critics, the flat-sharing aspect among older women is definitely interesting and may have even set an example of future living trends and demands of older adults already more than 20 years ago.
This piece is not about debating our increasingly ageing population, nor the growth in urban populations. These are all facts, the questions though I believe need to address how societies are dealing with them and how they strike new paths. The following paragraphs are a kind of smorgasbord of diverse alternative housing arrangements for older adults.
What About the Housing Menu for Older Adults?
Choices and niches for older adults in the housing market are often found to be lacking or unsatisfactory – or as The Guardian recently proclaimed: “there is a gap in the housing market for older people“.
Increasingly, trends move away from institutionalized care facilities as the main option for spending your later years in life. This trend is inseparable from retreating state-led services, growing need for informal support and care networks, economic crises, individual desires to escape (or at least delay as long as possible) the institutional trajectory and much more – in short: many dynamics are at play.
Growing older also means that needs and demands change over time, or certain care specific needs may emerge more drastically. The housing needs, demands and wishes are as multi-faceted as within other population groups – so no, there is not one housing solution or two (home alone – or nursing facility!?) for older adults – the ‘housing menu’ needs to be diverse and a lot of alternative settings do already exist and are steadily growing, including shared apartments, co-housing, intergenerational living projects….
Less Alone Together: Shared Apartments Are More than Just Sharing Space
“We are no bowling club: We live together.”
An interview in Der Standard, an Austrian paper, revealed that loneliness and longing for community were the main motives for most (of the overall eight) residents behind their move into a ‘Senioren-WG’ (Shared Flat for Seniors), which opened in 2012 in Vienna. Many of the current residents only knew shared flats from either their own student experience many years ago or from TV (though The Golden Girls proves to be quite an exception in showing elderly flatmates). Another article, “Aging Together: A New Way To Avoid Late-Life Loneliness,” looks behind the scenes of a shared apartment of five senior residents in Hamburg. Shared apartments for seniors is – similar to other shared living arrangements – about more than simple sharing space.
However, care and informal support has its limits. Usually, arrangements to receive external care assistance (from daily food delivery to physical care) can and should be made by residents individually. However, when care can’t be provided by flatmates or external assistance any more, residents need to move to a nursing facility. Trends in nursing facilities in some countries have also started to move away from sterile bed room settings towards more of a shared apartment atmosphere with care personnel present.
Co-Housing and Intergenerational Living Are Alternative Ways of Living for Ordinary People
Most Important Characteristics of Co-Housing
“Cohousing and Homeshare can be ideal for older people who want a wider social life than care homes can provide” – Jo Salter, The Guardian
Co-housing is another alternative to living alone, or in age-segregated care institution. Especially countries like the Netherlands (where it is called centraal wonen, or central living), Denmark, and Sweden have pioneered in establishing co-housing communities already since the 1970s. Now, the model has spread all over the world. There is not one definition of co-housing, but multiple concepts taking on different forms and shapes depending on the size, aspirations, demands and possibilities of its residents.
Usually, “c0-housing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods.” Shared activities can include meals, gardening, maintenance, social support, and child care with ecological and social sustainability as essential community pillars. Co-housing is further discussed as a lifestyle choice or even as the secret to sustainable urban living. Co-housing settings are often multi-generational, which in fact attracts a lot of older adults, but there are also ‘co-housing communities‘ specifically for seniors.
What to Order from the Housing Menu? Moving in with The Golden Girls
Different Housing Options and Choices
The idea to live with a bunch of quirky and nice old friends, similar to The Golden Girls is without a doubt attractive. However, I believe we need to be cautious not to romanticize or idealize a certain living setting – and to keep in mind that a lot of people want to and choose to live alone, or decide to move into another setting – or don’t have (m)any choices due to financial and health constraints. Thus, concluding once again – a diversity of housing options and living with care arrangements are needed and present a desirable way forward. For those of you now intrigued by The Golden Girls, get a little glimpse into Blanches search for her golden girls roommates here.
Do you know of any other interesting and innovative housing settings/projects for older adults in your town or city? Let us know and share your ideas in the comments below!
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