Word: communal
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Cohousing, which debuted in Denmark in the 1970s, is a semi-communal concept in which separate living units--usually attached condo-style--are clustered around a "common house," which, at the very least, has a kitchen, a dining room and a third area for gatherings and activities. The idea is to bring back a time when neighbors were an integral part of one another's lives, sharing meals and recreation--and providing companionship and a helping hand. That concept has been co-opted recently by older people looking for a way to combine their autonomy with access to a supportive...
...bedroom and $484 a month for two bedrooms. The remaining 13 homes have sold for $90,000 to $100,000 for a one-bedroom and $113,200 for two. All residents chip in $150 a month for expenses, including maintenance and, when the common-house kitchen is completed, communal meals available to all. And everyone makes a commitment to help one another as they grow older...
...residents tend to be healthy, active and independent, so no one is sure how the concept will work when increasing numbers of residents become frail and in need of assistance. Advocates say that when residents get sick, they will pay for and arrange their own care but that the communal-living arrangement may offer an advantage since infirm members could share the expense of hiring a health-care provider to tend to several of them. And, of course, members will continue to enjoy the support and physical presence of people who have become part of their lives. "I expect...
...group ran out of money when it unexpectedly had to pay $250,000 to construct a retaining wall on the property. Residents are looking for funds to complete the interior of the common house and four adjoining apartments. In the meantime, they try to keep team spirit going with communal meals about twice a month. One was recently held at the town's senior center, and residents have picnicked on the nearby Virginia Creeper Trail. At other times, there are informal meals in one another's kitchens...
...shukubo, a thin futon, a chaff-filled pillow and nothing but paper doors between you and the next snoring pilgrim are the norm. But others can be surprisingly refined, with delicate flower arrangements, swirling calligraphy on the walls and views of carp ponds. Bathrooms and toilet facilities are typically communal. So are morning prayers. To rise at dawn for an hour-long ceremony may not be everyone's path to enlightenment, but guests are expected to attend. For good measure, some temples offer classes in meditation, calligraphy, flower arranging and vegetarian cooking. Opportunities to sample the latter, in fact...