Older Adult Residents in Cohousing Communities: Impact and Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This cross-sectional study explored the experiences of older adults in cohousing communities in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cohousing- an intentionally designed collaborative housing community- provides opportunities for social support. Restrictions due to the pandemic may be associated with less opportunities for social and physical connectedness. Most participants did not feel lonely or left out but did feel isolated. Feeling lonely or left out were associated with poor health status, living alone, being single, and having less contact outside of the community. It was unclear if feeling isolated was a result of or was intensified due to the pandemic.

Keywords:

• Cohousing
• COVID-19
• older adult housing
• loneliness
• social contact
• social support

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Angela Sanguinetti and the Cohousing Research Network for their interest in our study and their assistance in obtaining updated contact information for cohousing community representatives.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).