How these 'Golden Girls' beat the odds of loneliness

"OK,Mary. You're going to make fourcups of chicken broth."

Barb Coughlin, 71,is assigning kitchen duties for the day. "Phyllis, cut up the chicken. I'll chop some onions."

There's a pre-Christmas luncheon to prepare, so the cooks are in high gear.But with all the choppingand slicing, there's a healthy doseof laughing.

"They think this is a party house,"said Coughlin, referring to friendswho arealittle envious of the threewomen's living arrangement.

We didn't like living alone anymore. We didn't laugh very much.- BarbCoughlin

Earlier this year, Coughlin, Mary Townley, 71, and PhyllisBrady, 66 all baby boomersand long-time friends decided to shake up their housing arrangement.

They sold their houses, did some serious purging of appliances and furniture,pooled their financesand, by the summer,moved into their new sharedhome in London, Ont.

Co-housing 'a beautiful model'

It's called co-housing,a movement that took off in the '70sin Denmark,and this kind of arrangement among seniors is a growing trend in Canada, whether it's people sharing one houseor a larger apartment complex.

"It really is a beautiful model," said Adriana Shnall, an expert on aging at BaycrestHealth Sciences in Toronto.

"By living together people have a community. And especially people who lived in a family, a partner, children. You get older. You lose all those supports that are inherent to living with others."

By living together people have a community.- AdrianaShnall, agingexpert atBaycrestHealth Sciences

Brady, Coughlin and Townleyhadbeen living alone for the past decade or so. Twoare widowed, one is divorced, and their kids are all grown up and gone.

The idea of sharing a home, they said,came down to the need for companionship.

"We didn't like living alone anymore. We didn't laugh very much," Coughlin said.

Townley said, "I didn't mind being alone at times.But then there are those other times when you think, 'Oh, I wish I had someone to talk to.' Not over the phone. It's much nicer face-to-face, with a glass of wine, and just talk it through."

A rising epidemic

Loneliness among older adults is a risingepidemic in Canada. Statistics Canada reportsmore than one million seniors say they're lonely. Being alonehas profoundhealth consequences too.It lowers cognitive function. Itincreases premature death as well astherisk of heart attack, stroke, depressionand the risk of falls.

That last point is an important one particularly for older adults. It's why the women made sure the house they boughthad few stairs. They each have their own bedroom and bathroom and, because Brady is the youngest, she gets the so-called teenager's roomin the finished basement.

Close to the bar,they add.

Co-housing also means they share the bills and the responsibilities of the house, like paying off the remainder of the costfor a new awning.

But co-housing goes beyond practical financial arrangements, said Shnall. "It's cheaper to live with somebody else but it's also better for our physical health and for our mental health."

Back in the kitchen, with the chicken stew almost done, the London roomiesknow living together will meaneating betterand healthier.As for companionship,there's always someonearound for a walk,a talkor just a simple hello.

"I walk up the stairs, and my friends are here having their breakfast. Good morning, Phyllis. How are you?"said Brady.

When asked if there are any regrets, it's a quick and unanimous,"No."

"If we can be independent and be in this kind of situation for the next 20years, that would be a great thing," said Brady.