Living arrangements to reduce isolation

Members start by discussing various cohousing and shared living arrangements to create community in their lives, then explore the role of technology in preventing isolation.

In the section below you can see links to "Useful Resources" that are relevant to the discussion.

• Cohousing - the creation of intentional communities.                               
• the Village Movement - a membership approach to supporting aging at home.  

Other approaches include:            

• Shared housing, for one example the Golden Girls network  
• This article discusses affinity-based communal living in specialized retirement projects. It says "New types of retirement communities are catering to persons who want to live around others who share their life experiences and leisure interests. For example, there are communities who cater to artists, postal workers, RV owners, fine arts patrons, and even lifestyle choices like an LGBT, an asian culture centered community, or perhaps even a Buddhist zen-inspired center."                    

We also discussed various social networking technologies like Stitch and Path and Next Door.

When the idea of using technology to overcome isolation is introduced, a group member recalls his father's tepid attitude toward tech devices, and others offer similar caveats. 

from the Commonwealth Club/Longevity Collective circle discussion June 8th, 2015.