From Gated communities to Intergenerational housing where to live after retirement 3

 Several models of housing for older adults exist nationwide, together creating tiers for the delivery of care that can be used based on an individual’s specific needs. In general, these tiers include independent living, assisted living, long-term care, and hospice care, with respite care serving as a temporary option at almost all levels to provide caregiver relief. Independent care options involve minimal professional assistance, while assisted living is suited for older adults who are able to make decisions but require support due to physical and functional health challenges. Long-term care is designated for medically complex patients who require 24-hour nursing care. Hospice care is for patients who are at end of life and require symptom management, and it is one of many palliative care options.

Intergenerational housing facilities could employ a uni or multi-tiered approach to older-adult housing, depending on community needs and available resources. The premise of intergenerational housing is that seniors’ needs are met in a similar way to the housing options mentioned above, with the added opportunity to reside with or among younger individuals who do not require these services.

The BC-based company Happipad is a housing solution that frequently facilitates intergenerational housing. Through its website, Happipad often connects seniors looking for social connections and additional income to younger tenants looking for affordable housing. Purpose-built intergenerational-housing spaces also exist in Canada, such as the newly established Generations facility in Calgary, which integrates assisted, long-term, and palliative care in a multigenerational environment. Similarly, Harbour Landing Village in Regina is a care centre for older adults that promotes personalized care and intergenerational activities. Similar housing schemes are seen worldwide. For example, the Netherlands has housing plans in which students are offered free accommodation provided they spend 30 hours each month with their older-adult housemates. In Fujisawa, Japan, Aoi Care houses elderly people with dementia, and is unique in that its residents decide on their daily activities, frequently choosing to interact with children by playing ball or selling tea made at the centre. Generally, studies show that living and spending time with family, and specifically caring for grandchildren, serve as protective factors against older-adult loneliness, further supporting the concept of intergenerational housing.

Existing intergenerational programs demonstrate an improvement in seniors’ health and well-being, suggesting a similar benefit would be realized through intergenerational housing. One study conducted in Japan noted that older adults who actively participated in an intergenerational program that involved regularly reading to school-age children over an 18-month period reported improved subjective health and social networks compared to controls. A follow-up study based on this program was conducted 7 years later and demonstrated that the control group had higher odds of having decreased intellectual capacity as well as lower levels of interactions with children. Additionally, at follow-up, the intervention group demonstrated higher levels of physical function related to fine motor skills, as measured through functional reach and grip strength. Functional limitations are also a risk factor for loneliness; therefore, intergenerational programs may help address this underlying issue.

From Gated communities to Intergenerational housing where to live after retirement 2

 55+ Gated communities are for those seniors who do not want to be around the younger generation. Intergenerational housing is for those seniors who need and want to interact with the younger generations.

They have shown intergenerational programs to benefit people across their lifespans. Children show more interactive and cooperative play, increased empathy and mood management, and improved academic performance. Adults—including parents of young children and caregivers of older relatives—experience better family communication, less worry and social isolation, and greater access to respite care. Older adults benefit from increased strength and balance, decreased social isolation, and improved quality of life. All ages become more accepting of differences and feel more connected to others. In the Seniors Association I am the President of, we are bringing back intergenerational programing and it seems to work.

There is an emerging model of new housing developments is experimenting with mixing older and younger people in one place. Although the two ends of the population spectrum are frequently portrayed as competing for limited welfare resources, pioneers see intergenerational housing as a solution to today’s most prevalent and persisting social issues: declining social safety net, loneliness, and poverty.

After all, there are some who do not want to be surrounded by older people when they grow old. Housing shortages and rental woes have led people to seek alternate options. Two of Canada’s three most expensive places to rent are in British Columbia — led by Vancouver, and closely followed in third place by Burnaby.

As a solution for students accessing affordable housing, Canada Homeshare, a non-profit organization, has partnered with several universities across the nation to devise alternate options. Besides students getting subsidized and safe housing options, this housing model also addresses another concern in our communities: deteriorating mental health in older adults because of social isolation. Having a helping hand in the house can be a benefit for older adults, both physically and mentally.

As the older adult population in Canada increases, it is imperative that there be adequate and appropriate older-adult housing available. Housing is a social determinant of health and is implicated in various health outcomes. A person’s living situation is interlinked with loneliness and social isolation, for which older adults are at higher risk. They correlate loneliness in older adults with a decline in function, lower self-reported health scores, and overall mortality. One way to address these challenges in BC is with an intergenerational housing model, where older adults live in communities that promote ties with younger generations. Several intergenerational programs exist worldwide, and they have significant benefits for all involved. Intergenerational housing projects are gaining traction in Canada and can serve as a method of improving the health and well-being of older adults while providing benefits to society at large.

The older-adult population in Canada will expand over the coming decades. Projections estimate that by 2068, this percentage will grow to between 21.4% and 29.5%. We expect that there will be over 5.5 million Canadians over the age of 80 in 2068, compared to 1.6 million in 2018. This situation requires considerable thought and action from the Canadian health care and political systems.

From Gated communities to Intergenerational housing where to live after retirement

Housing is a major concern for many seniors. Housing costs are going up, rental rates are skyrocketing, and people are looking for alternatives. I have touched on housing alternatives in past posts looking at Cooperative Housing and other shared living. Today and tomorrow I will post about 55+ communities and Intergenerational housing.

My Aunt and Uncle when they were alive, lived in a gated community for those over 65. Their community was in West Kelowna, which is in the interior of BC. They loved living there. The problem is that in BC, these types of communities are few and difficult to find and get into. There are more in Ontario and back east, but the model of housing has not caught on in BC, at least within my circle of friends and acquaintances.

The advantages of a  55-plus community or 50-plus community are many and include Community centres or clubhouses, Fitness Studios, Games Room, Hiking Trails or easy access to these trails, and a Patio/Courtyard/BBQ, with Recreation facilities onsite. Each community has its own unique personality, so there are a lot of choices.

Some of the biggest cons associated with active lifestyle communities are:

Maintenance fees. People who live in these retirement communities think the fees are well worth it. Paying someone else to do the dull old tasks of homeownership is way nicer than doing those yourself. Those tasks are covered by fees, and things get completed by professionals with professional equipment and skills.

Homeowner’s Association politics. Again, the Homeowners’ Association (which might also go by other names such as owners’ council) is in fact a feature of active lifestyle communities, and the Association is there for your protection.

The cost. Homes are priced based on different models, and it’s a popular model for builders or corporations of these retirement communities to keep ownership of the land while you own the house. This frees you up from some responsibilities. This also means that the entire community is consistently maintained; you won’t have neighbours with uncut grass or garbage outside their homes, etc.

There are teachers, and then there are educators

 According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington recently faced a unique problem.

A lot of 12-year-old girls were using lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom.

That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror, leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day, the girls would put them back.

Finally, the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man.

She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the mirrors every night. To show how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers, and then there are educators. Which are you?