Cohousing for seniors: where they are and what advantages they offer

• Shared spaces: The setting may be a large house with private apartments or a series of residential units. There are common areas, such as kitchens, living rooms, and gardens, where residents can socialize and participate in group activities.
• Autonomy and independence. Each person has their own private apartment, thus maintaining their independence. However, a support network is created among members, who can help each other with daily tasks or in emergencies.
• Shared management. There may be collective decisions, even by majority vote, regarding common areas, the scheduling of social activities, or even the maintenance of outdoor spaces, such as gardens, the entrance, and the roofs. Sometimes there is a coordinator who facilitates shared management.
• Mutual support. One of the main features is mutual support among residents. Seniors can share experiences, participate in common hobbies, help each other with shopping or with tasks they can no longer do alone.
• Safety and support. While self-sufficiency is the goal, support services, such as nurses or social workers, are often available if needed. Some cohousing facilities also have agreements with external professionals who provide healthcare support.
• Social and recreational activities. An important part of senior cohousing is socialization. There are often scheduled activities, such as games, workshops, walks, or social events, to keep seniors active and connected with others.

Benefits

These are the best cohousing for seniors in Italy, in different regions

Aosta Valley (Nus)

• The Good House: a family home for self-sufficient elderly people inaugurated in 2018, among the first in Italy.

Piedmont

• Novara (Dalmatia Village): at least 3 apartments converted into cohousing; furthermore, Simeone and Anna's House (Scalfaro's former home) donated to the Community of Sant'Egidio for self-sufficient elderly people.
• Heartbreak (Biella) e Beinette (Cuneo): projects like Casa nostra also on a donated or cooperative basis.

Lombardia

• Sustainable Village Figino in Milan: important urban experience with numerous subsidized rent accommodations for self-sufficient seniors.
• Domitys Green Quarter In Bergamo: approximately 124 apartments for the elderly via cohousing.
• Signs of ChangeMilan: participatory social housing project also open to seniors, awarded at European level

Veneto

• Borgo Mazzini Smart Cohousing In Treviso: cohousing with shared services for seniors
• Padua (Arcella): project with elderly women supported by the Community of Sant'Egidio

Trentino

• House at the Sailing (Trento): Intergenerational coexistence between seniors and students, managed by the SAD cooperative since 2014.
• Cles House (Val di Non): aimed at self-sufficient elderly people, active since 2017.

Friuli Venezia Giulia

• Egidio House (Pordenone) and Blue House (Trieste): cohousing facilities for self-sufficient seniors.

Liguria

• Villa Marta of Bethany (Genoa) and Coexistence in solidarity Roberto Bianchi (Carignano neighborhood): cohousing projects with solidarity support.

Toscana

• Cohousing del Moro (Lucca): intended for self-sufficient people over 60, with shared common areas and group activities.
• Isaro Casarosa (Zambra, Pisa) and Francesco Mocciaro House (Grosseto): Further consolidated examples for independent seniors.

Emilia-Romagna

• Our House (Modena): one of the first shared homes for elderly people with cognitive impairment or mild dementia.
• Solidarity (Ferrara): Cohousing for families and active seniors, with participatory management and mutual assistance.

Lazio

• Community of Sant'Egidio, various sites (e.g. Ostia): supportive cohabitation in single or shared apartments for approximately 30 elderly people, supported by volunteers and operators.
• Projects of the Municipality of Rome (Casa Giada, Casa Gaia, Casa delle Viole) host small communities (up to 6 people each) with daytime support.

Umbria

• My home (Terni): dedicated to self-sufficient elderly people or those with mild disabilities, in a cohousing regime.

Campania

• Grandmother Together (Cava de' Tirreni, Salerno): Project for independent people over 65, with shared spaces and community support.

The site for updates

This site It highlights, region by region, the various cohousing projects present throughout the country, each accompanied by an information sheet.

According to ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics), by 2050 there will be 263 elderly people for every 100 young people, and the care system, still largely based on women's caregiving and family, risks imploding. Cohousing represents a valid alternative to the expensive fees of nursing homes and to life in a more or less anonymous room. Except in special cases requiring close and constant medical care, for grandparents, living together is not only a way to save on expenses, which sometimes have a significant impact on increasingly meager pensions, but above all, it provides companionship.