Different strokes

National Seniors members share their living arrangements…

“Living on a boat enables us to save for repairs, replacements and fuel. We fish, bake our own bread and biscuits, make our own yoghurt and muesli… we try to leave a small footprint” – Lea P

“We shifted out of our five-bedroom home as soon as the children moved on and downsized to 2.5 bedrooms” – Brian S that engage in what’s known as collaborative living, where multiple people live together in a shared space.

Today, Narara is home to 250 residents who share lives, front yards and meals. Disagreements are settled via “listening circles”, while property upkeep is managed through working bees, to which residents must commit at least 52 hours a year.

As Parris says, “Nobody comes here if they don’t want to say hello to their neighbours.”

Co-operative living might not be for everyone, but it could appeal to older Australians looking to minimise their footprint and live in a community of likeminded peers.

One big happy family

For Dayyaan, 54, and Meme, 52, raising their teenage sons near the beach in South Australia (above) has been a dream come true. Moving to Australia from Pakistan to pursue a career in medicine meant Dayyaan, an only child, had to leave his parents behind. “It was hard being separated from them, especially when my father’s health began to decline,” he explains. After many years spent trying to bring his parents to Australia, Dayyaan has finally succeeded.

“In our culture, it is customary for the grandparents to live with family members instead of going to aged care,” he says.

“We are doing the opposite to a lot of our friends. As their children get closer to university age, they are looking at downsizing. It was a surprise to them, I think, seeing us looking for the biggest house we could find.

“With my parents moving in with us, we will have the six of us here under one roof for hopefully many years to come. My sons are both planning to go to university so they will not be moving out of home for a while. It is ideal in many respects as they will be old enough to appreciate the time they have with their grandparents, who they have only visited a handful of times in their life.”

When asked what his parents are most looking forward to about living together, Dayyaan says, “They are excited to see the beach and to spend time with my sons and my wife. My mother wants to teach my wife and my eldest son to cook traditional meals. My father is already asking me for photos of the backyard so he can work out what he is going to plant.” ACG

An edited version of a story that appeared on the National Seniors Australia website (nationalseniors.com.au). Reprinted with kind permission.

“We moved to an over-50s village last year. Everything outside our little home is maintained by buildings and services, from the lawns to the wheelie bins. It’s wonderful. We have bought electric bikes and we bike everywhere and have joined all the village social clubs. Absolutely no regrets” – Karen B

“When we retired, we shocked everyone by selling up and moving to Tassie. We live off-the-grid and it is not without its challenges – heating is a pain in winter –but we love it. We live in paradise.”

– Laura A