Senior Home Care Cooperative

COOPERATIVE

(Last updated 15 January 2001) The Senior Home Care Cooperative is being developed in the Chicago area as an alternative to a nursing home. Six families, each with an older adult needing 24-hour care, will form a cooperative housing corporation and purchase an apartment building. The families will manage the building and the six elderly family members will live in the building, sharing two apartments and receiving care.

CARE

In the Cooperative, family members will help paid caregivers provide 24-hour care for the group of residents. Each family will be responsible for providing 16 hours of care per week and the remaining hours will be covered by the paid caregivers, hired jointly by the families. The care will be basic supportive care at the level each resident requires. The care will be creative and wholistic and will take place in an environment where both the process of aging and the work of the paid caregivers are valued and supported.

HOME

We envision the Cooperative as a relaxed and warm home filled with the life, energy, and love of the family members and paid caregivers who spend time there, and of the older adults who live there. The residents will be able to participate in the ordinary activities of daily life and follow their usual routines, surrounded by family and friends. With the help of their families, the older adults will be able to retain control over their lives and maintain their identity.

COST

The estimated cost of both housing and care for the Cooperative will be approximately $2,000 per month. The cost would be less for families who choose to provide additional hours of care.

Why a Cooperative?

• all the benefits of being at home,
  ... plus
• the additional advantages of ...
  • Shared caregiving responsibilities
  • Energy, stimulation and support of other families
  • Enriched daily life for residents
  • Shared ownership and costs
  • Living wage for paid caregivers for the highest quality of care
  • Shared knowledge and experience
  • An established structure for care.

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The Senior Home Care Alternative

The Senior Home Care Alternative is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization whose function is to assist the Senior Home Care Cooperative organize and operate this new model of care.

The Senior Home Care Alternative is a member of the Chicago Mutual Housing Network, which provides training and technical assistance to groups forming housing cooperatives.

For more information please contact:
Mary Signatur at (847) 869-8409, or
Claudia George at (773) 248-2072.