In this ReligionLink source guide, we provide stories, statistics and sources for you to cover religion from the perspective of an aging population, with a particular emphasis on how religion affects older adults and how they, in turn, shape American religion.
In this edition of ReligionLink, we try our hand at predicting some of next year’s big religion news themes and tease out the kinds of stories journalists, commentators and analysts might be working on, talking about or sharing with one another in 2023.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, N.J., funds Faith in Action, a program using congregations and other community groups to provide greater access to health care for the ill, including those with Alzheimer’s. Doug Smith is program coordinator for Faith in Action, which is based at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Elder Cohousing Network in Davis, Calif., an eight-household community, opened in January 2006 as the first elder cohousing development in the country. Members range in age from 76 to 92; the community grew out of a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Davis.
Silver Sage Village in Boulder, Colo., broke ground in August 2006 and is Colorado’s first cohousing development for seniors. With a spiritual core, the ecofriendly community has a common meditation room.
Sand River Cohousing is a 26-family community of elders developed in Santa Fe, N.M., based on shared values, including spiritual growth. Contact Coreen Plewa.
The Oakcreek Cohousing Community was completed in 2012 and is run and staffed by the community members themselves. It houses seniors in its 24 units and works to create an interdependent, supportive community. It is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
