Viennese senior citizens project

Finally old enough to live in a shared flat

Afternoon fun in the large garden of the shared flat, which the residents take care of themselves.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

A shared flat without arguments about food being eaten and who has to do which housework? Yes, it is possible: with the necessary maturity. We visited a senior citizens' shared apartment in Vienna - a model for living in old age that experts say has a future.

Bruce Springsteen is rocking out "Born in the U.S.A." on the radio, Elena has made coffee for everyone, Werner takes out the garbage and then goes straight to the supermarket with several shopping lists - typical shared apartment scenes. Except that no one in this shared flat in Vienna-Floridsdorf is younger than 60.

"These are the best years of my life"
Elena, Werner and three other men are the residents of Volkshilfe's senior citizens' shared flat, two places are currently free. It doesn't matter to them how unusual this form of living is for senior citizens. When asked about the adjustment - after decades alone in 43 square meters of old building in Vienna-Favoriten - Mrs. Elena answers that she slept badly for three nights because the new bed was still unfamiliar. That was ten years ago, after she had read about the new senior citizens' flat share in the "Krone" newspaper.

The living room, garden, bathroom and toilet are all shared.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

The 14 square meter rooms are private.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

Mrs. Angelika helps out in the shared flat wherever help is needed.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

She liked the new buildings and, as a keen swimmer, the proximity to the swimming pool, says Ms. Elena. She also asked herself more and more often: "And what if I fly there? No one will find me." The last ten years have been the best of her life so far, she says with conviction. Once there was "a bossy German" as a flatmate, but he didn't stay long anyway.

Yes, shared flats for senior citizens are still rare. We believe that this will change with the baby boomer generation.

Silvia Zechmeister, Volkshilfe, Leitung Wohnbetreuung

Bild: Holl Reinhard

Silvia Zechmeister, responsible for partially assisted living at Volkshilfe, confirms that for most residents, worries and fears about being alone are the reason for moving into a shared flat. This was also the case for Mr. Werner. He lost his partner in a fatal accident. Like his flatmates, he sought and found independence without loneliness in the shared flat.

More independent and active through shared flat living
Everyone here gives each other the space they need. Some are friends, others are simply polite to each other. Only if someone hasn't come for breakfast after an hour is there a knock on the door, otherwise never. From Zechmeister's point of view, the shared flats are a benefit for everyone: residents get support where they need it, if they don't help each other anyway. As a result, they also remain more active and independent for longer than if they were living alone or with all-round care.

Everyone does the household tasks that they are comfortable with. For things that are too difficult for everyone, there is a visit from a house technician and Mrs Angelika: she looks after things, organizes joint activities and helps with problems, for example with forms and bank transactions. Even the oldest of all shared flat problems - where have my supplies gone in the fridge? - has been solved by the seniors and they are happy to share this secret knowledge with the youngsters: Everyone has their own labeled compartment.