Innovation: Profuturo co-housing for older people

Spain

AAI Domains:

• Independent, healthy and secure living (independent living, access to health and care services, mental well-being)

• Participation in society (social connectedness)

An ageing population will require a greater range of choices of housing and the type of community life that people want to experience. With many older people having accumulated a good level of income over their working life times and with many also having experienced an increase in wealth due to increasing property prices, there is a growing demand for housing and communities that specifically cater for the wants and needs of older people. In Spain, this form of co-housing of older people is developing and provides a socially innovative solution for a proportion of the older population.

Profuturo is a cooperative that was established in In Valladolid (population c.300,000) in the Castile and Leon region of north west Spain 2006 to design and develop a residential complex and community specifically intended for older people, defined as being people over the age of 50 years. Following more than six years of planning and construction, the complex opened in 2013 and provides 127 apartments (ninety with two bedrooms as well as bathroom and kitchen) in a communal setting that provides a wide range of communal amenities such as a library, gym, rehabilitation room, games room, TV room and a café bar.

The complex is managed by a residents council within an agreed set of rules with residents buying their apartment and paying a service charge for the maintenance of the complex and a range of basic services. These include including direct communication with the concierge service, personal alarms. medical and nursing service and maintenance of communal areas along with monthly apartment cleaning. Additional and optional services include the dining room, laundry service, housekeeping, personal assistance and an emergency locator service.

There are also a range of socio-cultural activities including friendship meetings, laughter therapy, painting club, food tasting sessions, visits to local cultural events and a walking club to ensure active ageing and to prevent social isolation and loneliness, a major fear among older people in Spain and elsewhere. This form of intentional co-housing community is developing in parts of Spain to provide greater choice for older people who want to live in such an environment are able to afford the costs of this provision.

In relation to active ageing, Profuturo provides older people with independent living in a well designed apartment complex that meets the varying needs of this group. There is access to health and social care services and the community is based on building social connections among residents through a range of activities that should enhance mental wellbeing by prevention social isolation and loneliness.

eCOHOUSING website