The ageing of population and the challenges for social and health care systems: the senior cohousing model and the role of new technologies

The population ageing is in rapid evolution in all countries, producing worrisome consequences and having a strong impact on public welfare systems. Several countries have started facing these problems through the introduction of cohousing facilities according to the senior cohousing model. This model is based on a cohousing community for the elderly where people share a series of facilities and services. However, one of the main obstacles has been represented by high costs for the establishment and maintenance of facilities, which need to combine personalized home environments and services with qualified health and social assistance. These problems are more relevant in extra-urban and rural areas, where the costs of accessing public services − included those related to health – are increased and opportunities of socialization are lower. In recent years, advances in digital technologies and industry 4.0 related technologies have allowed to reconsider many of the solutions adopted, opening room for new and more efficient assistance models. Until now, senior cohousing has been studied mainly from the point of view of architectural features, urban development, social interaction, health, and environmental sustainability. However, few studies focused on this issue with reference to the economic conditions which characterize elder people when facing the need of assistance and medical services. The objective of this study is to identify, thanks to a literature review and the study of recent experiences, the key success factors, by an economic point of view, for senior cohousing facilities regardless of the characteristics of the context in which they are located. In addition, looking at the innovation on telehealth- related technological solutions, this study can provide the basis for an assessment model for evaluating the of economic sustainability of senior cohousing solutions.