Salmon and lettuce tacos are part of the menu at Tesha Martinez in La Guanchathe first community housing project for elderly Mexicans fleeing nursing homes and defending their independence.
Retired teacher, 65 years old, Tesha and her husband Francisco Vigil, 61, changed their home in the bustling capital of the country for this community in Malinalco, State of Mexico, a peaceful tourist municipality and the entity that most.
In the State of Mexico, according to the census of Inegiin 2010 there were 1 million 137 thousand 674 people over 60 years old; In 2020, the number grew to 1 million 517 thousand 425, and by 2030, the figure is expected to exceed 7 million.
On a plot of land surrounded by forestsis where this couple and 28 other senior citizens have built, so far, six houses with their pension money and savings.
Six already live in the place, where it is planned to build others. nine houseswhile the others come and go, for now.
“In my working life I gave and gave myself because I received a salary (…), now it is different because it is about collaborating (…) and I have learned that giving is much more satisfying,” he says. Vigilformer automotive industry worker, on the spirit of cohousinga collaborative housing model that emerged in Denmark.
In front of a large garden and a pool that complete the common areas, the man explains that his and his wife’s wish is for their children to have a life of their own.
“And We educate to the children to fly (…) we also have to fly”, reflect.
The couple also wants to grow old in better conditions than their parents. The elderly “never get the care they need, They are very alone“, he points out.
UNITY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
“La Guancha” was born in 2009, as an academic project by Margarita Maass on improving the quality of life of older adults.
Together with several acquaintances, this doctor in social sciences bought the lot where years later its current owners built housing with walls of straw and clay and installed solar heaters.
They also planted fruit trees. “Nature is something that (…) fills my soul,” says Martinez, who put together the recipe book with the help of chefsnutritionists and “lots of eaters,” as he affectionately calls his colleagues.
As a contribution to his new family, Vigil He systematized the purchases that are financed with contributions from everyone. He is also in charge of the regulations and the bar.
“He cohousing It is a very good solution for people who are alone because they have to live together (…) who are left without a lot of money because they have to share expenses, and for people who have health problems, because by being together they share a doctor,” Maass highlights.
The researcher explains that this model It differs from an asylum because the group “decide how you want your house, where you want it, what size, with what people and with what financial resources.”
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2024-08-31 08:18:34