Togethering is the term for how we live out our vision of how we care for our families together.
Family can mean anything from the traditional nuclear family across generations to modern-day chosen families, friends and neighbours.
This series explores how modern families are navigating their own version of togethering – examining the intersection of aging, housing and caregiving.
Togethering is unique for each family. It can take many different forms in where we live, how we support each other and how we transition together as an intergenerational “circle of care.” This introduction to the "Togethering" series explores some housing options built around concepts of care.
Stella and Derek are an example of proactive "Togethering." When the couple were expecting their first child, they purchased a home across the street from Stella's parents to stay close. Part two of the togethering series explores how Stella and Derek are considering new ways of "togethering" as Stella's parents require more care.
After Andrea's father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015, it became difficult for her to provide him care in Toronto from her home in the U.S. Eventually she would have to figure out a shared living space that worked for both of her parents and her and her husband. Read Andrea's story navigating "Togethering" in part three of the series.
For part four of the Togethering Series, Amy reflects on how the pandemic and her mother's heightened and unpredictable home care needs caused her family to come together to take care of each other in seemingly impossible yet profoundly meaningful ways.
The latest in the Togethering series looks at the spectrum of common housing options available to seniors and provides a roadmap for conversations with the elders in your life.
A growing number of us are caring for aging parents and loved ones from a distance. Thanks in part to technology, intergenerational families separated by borders and oceans can stay connected and offer support. A dozen distant caregivers highlight the unique and invisible challenges they face and offer learning opportunities.
Alcina Sung and the Togethering team are compiling resources that may better educate families, designers and developers on accessibility considerations and other resources to make aging at home a reality for as long as possible.