“Isso aqui é um sonho!” - percepções e possibilidades acerca de moradias colaborativas destinadas à pessoa idosa no Brasil

Abstract

In 2014, the first public condominium of collaborative housing for the elderly was structured in Brazil. The pioneering experience, which aims to provide decent housing for low-income seniors, located in the city of João Pessoa- Paraíba. In the city of Santa Maria – Rio Grande do Sul, a group of people, inspired by the idea, started the creation of a condominium along the same lines, by private initiative, but both aimed at the same public, low-income elderly people. This research aimed to understand the perceptions about the housing model for longevity called cohousing from its (future) residents, employees and creators; and knowing the aspirations of elderly people with the intention of living in this type of place, taking into account the interest in implementing them in other cities in Brazil, thus having a housing option for the independent elderly. This is an exploratory, descriptive research with a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a script developed by the researcher, through instant messaging applications, respecting the Social Isolation guided by the World Health Organization, due to the Pandemic by Covid-19. All interviews were recorded using a recorder, and later transcribed to carry out a content analysis report, proposed by Bardin (2011). The results showed that this collaborative housing model is also identified as a “cohousing”, with similar principles and benefits.It was found that elderly people living in collaborative housing reported significant changes in their quality of life, which was confirmed through the reports of local employees, and that the motivations for implementing the idea in other places are similar to the perceptions of the elderly people who already reside in this housing model. The project's creators were based on Cidade Madura and their own concerns about the aging process, while future residents were able to think about their current experiences and envision a future with more safety, tranquility, health and respect.