By sharing common space, pooling and sharing resources,
and fostering reciprocity and mutual support,
we give up some privacy and the illusion of ‘independence’
in exchange for deeper human connections
and potentially a more meaningful quality of life.
~J. Stambolian & J. Blanchard
Aging Together – Our Aging-in-Community Group
Our Aging Together group is collaborating with Pastor Loretta Jaunzarins of Grace Lutheran Church to develop an interactive resource Hamilton Aging-in-Community Website.
This website project has emerged directly from community panels hosted by Aging Together in each of our three years. The project will be informed by and support the Hamilton Age-Friendly Plan and the recently funded multi-agency New Horizons initiative “Hamilton Seniors Isolation Population Impact Plan”.
We intend to help church/faith groups to learn about the Halton HomeShare Toolkit and how to facilitate home-sharing and other mutual support strategies among their low-income congregation members. Working through the existing social ties and ongoing support within faith communities can make for good matches and sustained home-sharing. The website will link to regional services for seniors and offer an opportunity to share church-based strategies for connecting socially isolated seniors within community.
An inspiration to us, Parker Palmer (a spiritual leader for intentional communities over many decades) writes in his 2016 essay: Thirteen Ways to Look at Community that
“Community is not a goal but a gift to be received.”
Aging in Community Books
Anthony, B. (Ed.) (2015). Reimagining Your Neighborhood: Transforming Car-Centric Housing Developments into Vibrant, Verdant, Sustainable Communities. Chapel Hill NC: Second Journey.
*Blanchard, J. M. (Ed.) (2013). Aging in Community. Chapel Hill NC: Second Journey.
Chapin, R. (2013). Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small-Scale Community in a Large-Scale World. Newtown CT: Taunton Press.
Durrett, C. (2009). The Senior Cohousing Handbook: Community Approach to Independent Living, 2nd ed. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society.
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Green, L. (2013). The Perfect Home for a Long Life: Choosing the Right Retirement Lifestyle for You. Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishers
McCamant, K., & Durrett, C. (2011). Creating Co-housing: Building Sustainable Communities. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.
Pinker, S. (2014). The Village Effect: How Face-to-face Contact Can Make Us Healthier and Happier. Random House Canada.
ScottHanson, K., & ScottHanson, C. (2004). The Cohousing Handbook: Building A Place for Community. Gabriola Island BC: New Society Publishers.
Aging in Community News
Intergenerational Housing For Seniors on College Campuses
Intergenerational Retirement Home with Students in Netherlands
Aging in Place, or Time for the Big Move?
Aging & Writing News
Alzheimer’s Patients Keep the Spark Alive by Sharing Stories
Collaborative Writing Exercise
In a small group, use index cards or sheets of paper. Each person writes two lines to begin a haiku (focus on nature). Pass the cards to the right. Each adds a third line to the lines received. Read aloud the collaborative poems.
If you choose a specific theme (e.g., September or trees), then the individual poems might combine well into a longer, group reflection.
Conferences and Requests for Submissions
With this shadow photo,
I bid you adieu
Ellen