Multi-generational Living

Whenever I talk about senior housing options, I will often raise the topic of living with family. It's wonderful when families are willing to take in elder relatives but often there can be issues with the arrangement as one would expect when you amalgamate households and different living styles. As well, since many families have two working people, its often difficult to incorporate care for an elderly loved one into the mix of responsiblities. The North American lifestyle for many has forced us to move away from multi-generations living under one roof, even for those who culturally have expectations on them.

As we are seeing though,  private companies and organizations are coming up with innovative and alternate housing options as more and more people reach that 'senior' age cohort. I read recently about a builder who is designing homes specifically for multi-generational living allowing for the amalgamation of homes as two separate side-by-side private residences - one as a bugalow structure and the other as a two-storey family dwelling. Called a FlexHouz, it is a far better solution than moving loved ones into your basement or an upstairs bedroom if they are still independent and want their privacy. Keeping in mind that climbing stairs can become an issue for an older person, this allows for the senior to be all on one level and to have regular contact with family when they want or need it. As well, it does allow for aging in place if a caregiver is eventually required. It seems to be a better solution than renovating a home to accomodate two households especially if both parties currently own a property that they are willing to sell to move in together. While it appears that only one builder in Ontario is testing this concept out right now, if it catches on, I can see more and more homes being built like this as we need to consider different ways to retire and to care for our elderly. The article indicated that the builder had offered up 7 lots with this design and they sold out within 6 minutes! I'll be watching this concept with anticipation, anxious to see how many other builders pick up on the idea and how widespread it becomes.

Information for this article obtained from: www.thestar.com/business/real_estate/2019/01/02/flexhouz-is-a-home-built-for-multi-generational-living.html 

New Year, New Edition!

Happy New Year!

This year we are trying something new. As our regulars know, for the past 22 years we have done an annual publication on retirement residences and resources for seniors that is released every January (called the Comprehensive Guide to Retirement Living® ). This year we decided to move away from print in an effort to save a few trees and allow for a mass FREE online distribution of The Guide which is sure to get it in the hands of even more people than ever before. The Guide can be downloaded directly to any computer without restriction or cost. The link to download your very own copy of our 2019 Guide is https://www.senioropolis.com/BookInfo.asp . 

The content of our well-known publication is the same as before, though it’s expanded across Canada and has a revised colour resource layout. Because it’s digital, it has the benefit of having bookmarks and live links throughout, making it easier to find what you need quickly. It is full colour with full size pages and larger print that can be expanded as needed through any PDF reader. There are links at the bottom of every page of www.senioropolis.com, that will lead users to the download. Senioropolis.com continues to work towards becoming the #1 resource for ‘all things senior’. We are always looking for new ways to better meet the changing needs of our users, homes and resources.

Please keep in mind that all homes in Canada are offered the opportunity to be part of our publication. For various reasons, some choose not to be in it – this is not a reflection of the quality of the home or any decision on our part to exclude them.

Please pass on our web address (www.senioropolis.com ) to anyone you know who may have use for our publication or online information. We continue to add new features to the site and, homes have access to update information as often as they wish as well as add various extras like photos, virtual tours, videos, and social media feeds. We encourage you to visit us often to view our resources, articles, and information on housing options for seniors.

In addition, this week we are re-launching our new, second site, www.seniorcareaccess.com, a member-only professional site allowing for comparative and competitive searches of all seniors housing options across Canada. With this new site we have expanded our reach to different kinds of housing, are beta testing a vacancy program, have added consultation services and  a well-defined resource section to make it the first of its kind in Canada. Feel free to take a look and view the various options available to seniors and professionals who work with them. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks and months.

We value input from all our users and take it into account when preparing the next edition so, please take some time to email any comments, questions, or requests to info@senioropolis.com  in the coming months.