Cohousing: a promising solution for aging in place

The aging inhabitants in many developed nations has given rise to various housing choices that cater to the particular wants of older adults who want to age in place. Nevertheless, the present housing decisions for this demographic usually fall wanting assembly their necessities. Moreover, many older adults wish to actively take part in the event and implementation of housing designed particularly for them. Cohousing emerges as a promising solution to handle these considerations.

Cohousing entails a deliberate neighborhood design that mixes the benefits of personal residences with shared facilities and a supportive village-style surroundings. The residents actively have interaction in the planning, administration, and possession of the neighborhood via democratic decision-making processes.

Analysis signifies that dwelling in a cohousing neighborhood yields quite a few optimistic outcomes for older adults, significantly in phrases of social determinants of well being. Cohousing has been discovered to reinforce general well-being, enhance meals safety, foster social participation and help, and probably scale back the necessity for costly institutional care.

Furthermore, cohousing holds explicit significance for older girls, as proof from Canada suggests that ladies make up a important proportion of cohousing residents.

Regardless of the rising curiosity in this housing various amongst researchers, policymakers, and older adults themselves, and the rising proof supporting its advantages in later life, there stays a lack of research particularly specializing in cohousing communities amongst older adults. This analysis hole persists even in nations the place cohousing is well-established as a housing choice.

To deal with this information hole, a scoping evaluate is at the moment underway which goals to evaluate the extent and variety of world literature on cohousing communities and the social determinants of well being in older adults. Its goal is to determine and categorise key proof in this space and spotlight areas the place additional analysis is required.

By documenting the prevailing information worldwide, the scoping evaluate will function a basis for figuring out which social determinants of well being have been studied in relation to dwelling in cohousing communities throughout later life.

The sort of information is essential for informing policymakers and stakeholders in nations with quickly aging populations concerning the potential impression of cohousing communities in comparison with different community-based housing choices which are extra broadly recognized and completely researched for older adults.

The scoping evaluate protocol is revealed in the June 2023 subject of JBI Proof Synthesis.

Cohousing communities and social determinants of well being in later life: a scoping evaluate protocol

Bigonnesse, Catherine; Weeks, Lori; Puplampu, Vivian; Paris, Mario; Dupuis-Blanchard, Suzanne; McInnis-Perry, Gloria J.; Haché-Chiasson, Allison

JBI Proof Synthesis 21(6):p 1337-1343, June 2023. | DOI: 10.11124/JBIES-22-00068