YASMINA REZA, FROM ART
Table of Contents
Foreword by Louis Tenenbaum
Foreword
Ahh, the longevity revolution! Never have there been so many old people in such good shape in any previous generation. When they say “60 is the new 40” (or some variation of this ridiculous phrase), it means the course of our lives is remaining in play longer. It’s a whole new game now, and we’re having to make up the rules as we go along. The good news is, we have more years to try new things, prepare our legacy, enrich our experiences – and cultivate relationships that make us wealthy beyond measure.
But as we look forward to this promising phase of life, we start asking ourselves, Where will we live? How will we live? Most of us know we don’t want assisted living or independent living or any of the other categories of “senior housing” we know from caring for our parents. We can’t picture ourselves subject to the management, the rules, the institutional-ness. We can’t picture ourselves in the lobby of those places listening to the Stones on our iPhone. Yet we can’t avoid the questions of where and how, as our needs change – because change they will.
I’ve spent the last twenty years working at better options, designing ways for people to stay in their own homes longer, if they wish, by making simple structural and other adaptations. It’s part of a concept called Aging in Place. My career has focused on making our homes the right places to grow old with dignity. One thing I have learned is that aging with dignity is more complex than just space design. Not only is every house different, but every household, every family, every neighborhood and community is different too. Every factor has an impact on one’s quality of life. And not all of us want to – or can afford to – stay in our home for the long run.
People who know of my work often tell me their “later-in-life daydreams,” that ideal living arrangement that’s out there somewhere. Many describe a compound with their own space but the proximity of friends. On the other hand, they don’t want it to be like a group house in college, with little privacy or boundaries. It always comes down to, How can I have my privacy without having to live alone?
The three authors of My House Our House had their own daydreams as well. And they took action. With intelligence, open minds and a sense of adventure, these members of the Boomer generation crafted an alternative living arrangement they call cooperative householding. And now, many years into their successful experiment, they’re here to give us the benefit of
