Welcome to HomeBridge Iowa Together BRIDE program
Senior Community housing Advantages
- Accessibility. Senior projects are designed with accessibility in mind—whether units are in elevator buildings or units on ground level, homes are built with accessibility features seniors may need as they age
- Safety. With nearby neighbors who know each other well, the odds of getting help you need it go up dramatically. It’s easy for neighbors to keep an eye out for each other, or even schedule daily check-ins while still respecting privacy. That caring means that if a fall or other injury happens, someone will notice and help.
- Social Connection. Recent research suggests loneliness is as damaging to health as tobacco or obesity. As they look for ways to stay socially engaged as they age and may become less able to drive, having common meals and community spaces to gather make a huge difference.
- Self Managed Model. Unlike retirement communities which are run by for-profit management companies, cohousing communities are self-managed by members who control decision making and take care of managing the infrastructure. Members do the work themselves and hire outside professionals when needed. They utilize committees to plan community meals, social activities, manage budgets, and oversee maintenance needs. Not having an outside management company and taking on the work themselves saves money and is a means by which members connect with and care for one another.
- Mutual Support. Extending support to neighbors is common in cohousing—helping new parents or a neighbor recovering from surgery; giving or getting a ride—are all typical. For seniors, mutual support is essential to aging in place successfully. Senior communities will not replace the potential need for nursing home care or assisted living, but many features make it possible to stay in place longer such as community meals, help with errands, and companionship that eases loneliness. Senior communities initiate conversations about aging and develop mutual support strategies including educational workshops about staying healthy and addressing end of life choices. Physical and emotional support helps enhance members’ later years in a healthy, socially engaged setting.
- Learning and Doing. As we phase out of parenting and careers, many of us have time and energy to learn new skills and fuel our intellectual curiosity. Research on the benefits of continued learning as we age is clear. People who keep learning new information, skills and ways to be of service stay healthier in the long run. Some examples:
