Remember The Golden Girls? The hit sitcom followed the lives of four older women who shared a house in Miami. It ran for seven seasons, from 1985 to 1992, and earned a shelf full of Emmys, Golden Globes and other awards for itself and its stars, Bea Arthur, Rue McLanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty.
Today, the living situation in The Golden Girls is becoming a reality for almost a million Americans.The concept of home sharing is growing rapidly in popularity, as a way to both reduce costs and combat isolation.
Both are important pillars of the SuperAging strategy to “get older without getting old.” They’re represented by two of our 7A’s — Autonomy, which includes financial independence, and Attachment, which speaks to the role of social connection in promoting longevity.
Like all strong trends, home sharing is developing its own database and resource infrastructure, including information and match up services.
The first obvious advantage is financial. By splitting housing expenses, individuals can reduce the burden for rent or mortgage payments, utilities and other household costs. This frees up resources for other needs or personal interests.
Healthcare is one important area here. While roommates may have different individual medical requirements, there are also common denominator needs that can be met through the pooling of resources, such as visits by homemakers or other types of caregivers whose presence could benefit all the roommates equally.
Social interaction is the second benefit. Sharing a home can alleviate isolation and loneliness, and promote meaningful companionship and shared social connections. Sharing meals, engaging in activities together, meeting one another’s friends and family, can all enhance overall well-being. Sharing responsibility for chores is important, too — from grocery shopping to meal preparation to routine household maintenance, having one or more roommates lightens the load, again freeing up more time for leisure (or work, if you’re not retiring).
Enhanced safety is yet another benefit. Roommates can provide assistance during emergencies (at minimum, reaching out to the families of the person in immediate need) and offer assistance with mobility issues.
All of this is fairly logical. The question is: how do you pursue it, if you’re interested? Where do you get more information? What are the pitfalls to watch out for? Are there referral agencies that can help you find a roommate or roommates?
For an excellent overview of what’s going on in this field right now, check this article. We particularly found helpful their list of Do’s and Don’ts:
DO:
- Use reputable sources to find pairings. Choosing to live with someone unknown to you can be risky, but some routes of getting in contact with potential roommates are safer than others. Resources like Silvernest, Nesterly or even government-led programs have the highest likelihood of safety for both hosts and renters, as opposed to classified services such as Craig’s List.
- Be transparent about your living habits and preferences. Some degree of compatibility or at least being able to functionally co-exist is necessary for home-sharing arrangements to work. That being said, be honest about how you live! It may be tempting to front as the ideal roommate, but that is not sustainable in the long term.
- Meet in person. Sharing a home is no small endeavor and even if everything looks perfect on paper, it’s important to get a sense of compatibility in person. Testimonials from home-sharers highly encourage preparing a list of in-depth questions for the first meeting. This will illuminate any potential for conflict or even spark a new friendship
DON’T:
- Rush into a home-sharing arrangement. The longevity of these agreements depends on living compatibility, so when you’re looking for a roommate, be picky! The more you understand the situation and who you’ll be living with, the more successful it will be.
- Assume home sharing is assisted living. Home sharing is best for individuals without serious health conditions and should not be viewed as a stand-in for assisted living or at-home care. Unless explicitly agreed upon, do not expect a roommate to offer any form of health care.
- Breach your home-sharing agreement. Although this model may look different from typical roommate agreements, given the age of cohabitants, the same rules still apply. It is important to be respectful to the person you’re sharing a space with. This means abiding by their boundaries and clearly setting your own.
Check here and here for examples of referral or match up services. There are more, but this will get you started.