Lots of people of all ages live alone in the U.S. In 2010 almost 1/3 of older adults lived alone. According to the Pew Research Center.
“Among the 22 million unmarried older adults, the majority (55%) lived alone in 2014.
Another 22% lived with their children, 16% lived with other relatives or non-relatives, and 7% lived in a nursing home or other group quarters. Though changing slowly women have been twice as likely as men to live alone as they age
One of the reasons for the gender imbalance in the older population living alone is that men are more likely than women to remarry after they have been divorced or widowed. Greater likelihood of remarriage for men is, at least in part, related to the greater availability of partners for men than women. But divorced or widowed men also are more likely than similarly situated women to say that they would like to remarry.”
For many reasons: financial, social, mental and physical health - people are looking for creative options to living alone. One of them is home sharing and there are now plenty of wonderful ways to find a roommate(s). .
The Golden Girl Network describes itself as:
“Our network is a group of single mature women and men who love the idea of shared living with others and who are looking for an economical lifestyle by forming senior communities together. The organization, Golden Girls Network, is a nationwide electronic database that provides an opportunity for these adults to connect with compatible housemates. “
Senior Homeshares is an online housemate service specifically for older adults. They match elders who have more home than they need or can afford with elders on a fixed income who are looking for safe, affordable housing. widowers, who may have an especially difficult time adapting to life alone.
http://www.cohousing.org/aging
Then there is Silvernest.com offers to help you find your perfect housemate and even backs it up with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Our City, Boston is supporting:
The Homeshare Pilot Program: The Mayor's Housing Innovation Lab, the Elderly Commission, and nesterly, a local social enterprise working to make existing homes work better for today's households, have launched the Intergen Homeshare Pilot. The Intergen Homeshare pilot sets out to pair senior households with an extra bedroom to students who are looking for not only an affordable place to stay during their studies, but also an opportunity to engage more deeply with the local community, establish companionship between different generations, and help seniors with simple home maintenance while receiving lower rent. An action item from the Age-Friendly Boston Action Plan. With the current demographic shifts and the pressing need to increase affordable housing, the City and nesterly are collaborating to bring this innovation housing solution to the City of Boston.
Many cities around the country and the world are creating and supporting similar initiatives.
If you are not interested in sharing a home then another great option to stay connected to your community is cohousing.
The Cohousing Association of the United States describes cohousing as:
“intentional, collaborative neighborhoods created with a little ingenuity. They bring together the value of private homes with the benefits of more sustainable living. That means residents actively participate in the design and operation of their neighborhoods, and share common facilities and good connections with neighbors. All in all, they stand as innovative and sustainable answers to today’s environmental and social problems.”
It is good to know that there are increasingly many ways to be Welcomed Home!
