Project lead: Civil Society Organisation

• Local authorities
• Civil Society Organisation
• Older People’s Association
• Volunteers
• Research institution

How collaboration worked: La Grande Vie’s two founders, La Coopérative d’habitation des Cantons de l’Est and La Coopérative d’habitation de la Rive-Gauche are still engaged in the project, with the executive director of both co-ops sitting on the board of directors along with 5 tenants from La Grande Vie. Both co-ops funded the project, each injecting 50 000 $ in financial contribution for preliminary analysis and project development. The city of Sherbrooke also helped; the city gave a plot of land, contributing up to 15 % of the total cost of the project. La Société d’habitation du Québec, the provincially owned enterprise in housing also funded the project through the AccèsLogis Québec program, a program that helps developing social and non-profit housing for targeted population group such as seniors or low-income families. This program subsidized 50% of the project cost. It also guarantees that 45 out of 54 housing units (those counting 1 bedroom) will be subsidised so low-income older people can benefit from the project too. A research team working on home automation is involved on the phase 2 project with professionals and a committee of tenants.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Details on older people’s involvement: The demand emerged from aging tenants of founding co-ops who wanted to age in a co-op but needed some help. An “aging tenants’ consultative board” was set up during the development of the project. Seniors are engaged in committees, in the maintenance as well as in the governance of the organisation, sit on the board of directors – occupying a majority of the positions (5/7), represent the organisation on local and regional housing or aging organisations and engage in care and support behavior.

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: Yes

Was the impact positive or negative:
Positive

Please share with us what you found in detail:
There is a Social Impact evaluation going on at the moment, the results should be known at the end of the summer (2018). Preliminary results are positive; older people like to have the opportunity to engage in the maintenance and the governance as long as they have the capacity to do so. They feel safe in a housing environment where they know their neighbors. They also appreciate the low cost of the rent and services, compared with the private for-profit sector.

Feedback:
Of course, not everyone is fit for the co-op lifestyle; it requires certain values such as democracy, cooperation, collective responsibility. Those who do not share these values find it hard to integrate the community. For those who do share the collective values of cooperation, this living environment is seen as stimulating and emancipatory. Older people engaged in the organisation of the co-op or its committees often say that it keeps them healthy and young. Life in the co-op is purposeful. Older people maintain or even develop new social roles. They also find that this environment helps in getting to know the neighbours, even create new friendships. Those who quit the co-op – often due to health problems – often regret that they had to move. Also, knowing that the executive director is there 5 days a week is really reassuring for the families. The co-op also received many awards over the years: 2 “Good move” awards from the provincial housing co-op organisation and one from the co-op movement in Estrie (regional prize). La Grande Vie has also been promoted as a model among international researchers on aging, receiving delegations from Senegal, Germany, Ireland, Australia, France and Belgium among others. See two videos produced to share the age-friendly practice model (in French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xxIaWVXj2M and https://www.usherbrooke.ca/actualites/nouvelles/capsules-video/capsules-video-details/article/31688/

Expansion plans:
Yes, a second phase is in development, this time for older people who need more support (medical and technical) and monitoring to maintain their autonomy. The second phase implies a new construction adjacent to the first one, with 36 studio apartments. To support the autonomy of older people experiencing loss of capacity, the new apartments will be equipped with home automation installations. It will serve as a study site for Sherbrooke’s domotic research team DOMUS. This project will enable tenants to age in the co-op even if they need medical support, and not be physically separated from their spouse or friends, which is a big problem at the moment.

Reflections:
The two executive directors of the founding co-ops were ignorant of the cost and functioning of housing with services and support for frail older people. If they were to do this again, they would reach-out for a partner specialised in the care and support of older people earlier in the development process. Their ignorance caused some difficulties in the first years, especially on the financial level. They would also plan more common spaces, allowing activities of a different nature to take place simultaneously, and a place for spiritual life and another for private family meetings.

Challenges:
The biggest challenge La Grande Vie faced since its opening in January 2011 is supporting frail older people as long as possible with the limited services and infrastructure the project offers, trying to avoid moving them to a more medicalised institution. The implementation of phase 2, planned for mid-2020, will likely alleviate this challenge.