Neshama Abraham is a principal in the cohousing consulting firm Abraham Paiss & Associates, cofounder of the Elder Cohousing Network and spokeswoman for the Cohousing Association of the U.S., all based in Boulder, Colo. She is familiar with many of the projects being developed and says that living in community is an important spiritual practice.

Charles Durrett is an architect in Nevada City, Calif., who with his wife and business partner, Kathryn McCamant, has championed cohousing in the United States. McCamant & Durrett Architects has designed cohousing and senior cohousing. Durrett’s books on cohousing include Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living (Ten Speed Press, 2005). He says the most important value for cohousing members is […]

Drew Leder, a medical doctor who teaches philosophy at Loyola College in Maryland, authored Spiritual Passages: Embracing Life’s Sacred Journey (Tarcher/Putnam, 1997) and has written extensively on aging and spirituality. He has examined elder spirituality in a variety of religious traditions and has consulted with the ElderSpirit Community in Abingdon, Va.

The work of the Sage-ing Guild is inspired by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, co-author of From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older (Warner, 1995). A leader in the Jewish renewal movement, Schachter-Shalomi developed an influential model of late-life spiritual growth that the Sage-ing Guild is now promoting.

Harry R. Moody is director of the Office of Academic Affairs at AARP. He edits the Human Values in Aging Newsletter and is an excellent trend-spotter.

Dr. William H. Thomas received the Heinz Award in 2006 for his work in transforming nursing homes using models he has developed that emphasize caring community. Contact him through the Eden Alternative in Wimberly, Texas.

Leigh Eric Schmidt teaches religion and chairs the religion department at Princeton University. He wrote Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality From Emerson to Oprah (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005) and can speak about expressions of American spirituality, including their role in 19th-century communal living arrangements.

Read an April 13, 2012 article about the history and development of cohousing communities in the U.S.

Read an Aug. 2012 article about the growing popularity of cohousing communities among more than just retired seniors. There are over 118 cohousing communities in the U.S. and counting.