As we grow older, the feeling of being isolated increases. We experience the loss of relatives and friends and, in many cases, our families might be far from our home. It is very important to have your peers around during these years. Enjoying friendships, old and new, is  a great way to spend your golden years.  

To overcome the loneliness, sharing a home in the senior community has become increasingly popular. Remember the Golden Girls?  The show featured four older women, who share love, happiness and support as they live in a Florida home. A widow Blanch posts a “Roommate Wanted” sign in the local grocery store to find her future BFF’s, fellow widow Rose and divorcee Dorothy.  When I think of the Golden Girls, all I think of how much fun they had together.  

There are so many benefits to seniors living together.  The main benefits being independence, companionship and, of course, saving money on home and in-home care expenses. In most cases, it prevents the senior from going to a nursing home so they can retain their independence.  It allows them to stay in comfortable home setting with an intimate group of companions.  

Saving money undeniably an attractive aspect to a home share life style. Typically, one person owns the home and the others pay rent.  The seniors can also split costs of extra help needed such as caregivers or in-home medical care. However, there are different ways to to set up a shared home with elderly peers.  Here are a few tips:

Finding your roomies

Ask around in your circle of friends if they are interested in the idea, or if they know others that are looking for that kind of home share arrangement.  Online roommate finders is another good option. Websites such as seniorhomeshares.com and silvernest.com are geared towards helping the elderly to find roommates.  

Finding Caregivers

There are different levels of caregivers you may need, depending on the needs of yourself and your roommates.  Ideally you should find roommates that are at a similar physical capacity as yourself.  For seniors that are active and strong, a basic caregiving service may be needed such as one that will take care of meal preparation, housekeeping, and taking the group too activities.  

Some seniors have more advanced conditions. Their mobility and memory might be slowing down; in these cases, a more skilled caregiver is needed to assist with health care management, lifting and daily hygiene.  A local caregiver agency can assist you with your finding the perfect caregivers. 

Already established Senior Group Home

A Senior group home is a great option because there is no hassle of setting up the home with roomies.  Unlike nursing homes, it is a comfortable home environment with 4-10 seniors per residence.  You can stay independent, build friendships and have your needs cared for in a safe environment. The benefit is they are staffed with 24 hr caregivers that provide care management, housekeeping, meal preparation and free form activities.  

You will be able to visit the home and meet your potential roommates before deciding to move in.  When searching for a senior group home it is helpful to know they are also referred to as adult group homes, personal care home and residential care homes. 

The way we grow old can be a choice.  The elderly life style means having more free time for hobbies, learning new things and spending time with people we enjoy.  Growing old can be a joyous time.  It just depends on who we grow old with.