The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
J Aging Stud. 2013 Dec;27(4):428-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2013.10.001. Epub 2013 Nov 6.
Social networks and improved health outcomes are strongly connected, yet many elders face isolation and loneliness. This article presents a study of an elder cohousing community in which residents are dealing with aging-related stresses as a group and creating positive outcomes for themselves. The article posits a conceptual model of how this phenomenon of "aging better together intentionally" occurs and the resulting benefits.
What happens when elders choose to live together in a community in which they consciously address aging collectively? Is it possible to age better together intentionally? If so, what does it look like, under what circumstances does it blossom, and how does it improve the aging experience?
In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 residents of an elder cohousing community in 2009. Respondents were white, mostly female, and averaged 73 years in age. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts led to a conceptual model of aging better together intentionally. To further explore the model, quantitative survey data were collected from the residents three years later.
The framework of communal coping provided the mechanism of aging better together intentionally. Quantitative data supported the existence of mutual support, increased acceptance of aging, and feelings of safety/less worry/lessening of social isolation as benefits of this type of living arrangement.
This research demonstrates the agency of older adults, the heterogeneity of the aging experience, and the value of older adults sharing their knowledge of the aging process with each other. Our conceptual model of aging better together intentionally could serve as a basis for interventions in other settings to provide a new way for people to age together with enhanced quality of life.
社交网络与改善健康结果密切相关，但许多老年人面临孤立和孤独。本文研究了一个老年人合作居住社区，居民作为一个群体应对与年龄相关的压力，为自己创造积极的结果。本文提出了一个概念模型，说明这种“有意共同更好地衰老”现象是如何发生的，以及由此产生的好处。
当老年人选择一起生活在一个他们有意识地集体应对衰老的社区中时会发生什么？是否有可能有意共同更好地衰老？如果可以，它是什么样子的，在什么情况下会开花结果，以及它如何改善衰老体验？
2009 年，对一个老年人合作居住社区的 26 名居民进行了深入访谈。受访者为白人，大多数为女性，平均年龄为 73 岁。对访谈记录的主题分析导致了一个有意共同更好地衰老的概念模型。为了进一步探索该模型，三年后从居民那里收集了定量调查数据。
集体应对框架提供了有意共同更好地衰老的机制。定量数据支持了相互支持、对衰老的接受程度增加、以及安全感/担忧减少/社会隔离减轻等作为这种生活安排好处的存在。
这项研究展示了老年人的能动性、衰老体验的异质性以及老年人相互分享衰老过程知识的价值。我们的有意共同更好地衰老的概念模型可以作为在其他环境中进行干预的基础，为人们提供一种新的共同衰老方式，提高生活质量。
