Rethinking home: Exploring older adults’ occupational engagement in senior cohousing

Abstract

Global demographic trends and the current limitations of housing options for older adults mean new housing models are needed for this diverse population. Alternative ways of living, like senior cohousing, are emerging. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the home environment and occupational engagement for older adults living in a Swedish cohousing model. Using a critical realist lens and case study design, interviews were completed with eight older adult cohousing residents, as well as home observation and document analysis. Findings expand current insights about occupational engagement by revealing the importance of both individual and collective occupations and their interplay in senior cohousing. Residents’ accounts also suggest personal and occupational development in later life. Senior cohousing provides an innovative way of ‘aging-in-community’ that may be a piece of the housing solution in other western contexts, though further investigation of cultural and institutional factors is warranted.

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