Today we have a curious subject. It has to do with the cooperative movement, and with aging. In the past I've spoken about different kind of cooperative efforts around the world, like Juan Valdez or the Global Mamas. I try to pick relevant subjects that might be of interest to our members and readers.
A couple of weeks ago, reading the newspaper I ran across a novel initiative that took
root in Spain about seven or eight years ago. A group of elderly people from all over the country felt weighed down by the idea of aging living out the rest of their with their families, stuck in a residence or even worse, in a government institution. They felt this way because they understand that, thanks to advances in medicine, they have a much long life expectancy than their parents, and much better health at that. So it made sense that they felt that they didn't want to be a burden, but that they didn't want to be forgotten either.
With that in mind, they decided to create their own cooperative, buy land with it and build a housing development where they could live together and live in active community.
An so they did. The Elderly Social Co-living Center Trabensol (this word comes for the
Spanish words Solidarity Workers) now stands about 50 kilometers north of Madrid capital. The cost of building the place was considerable because they chose environmentally-friendly building and also on the usage of geothermic energy which, in the long run saves money, but also represents a hefty initial investment.
And they've been living there a couple of years now, using a co-living regime that is very
responsible towards both the community and the individuality of each resident. They have social groups and forums of all kinds, and volunteer activities that take place both inside their newly constructed center and the exteriors they built specifically for community purposes: summer outdoor cinema, a gardening club or a videogame player one, a book club, different types of exercise and sports, educational sessions, planned trips and even shared drives into Madrid city every week. All in all, these peeps have a great setup.
It's the first cooperative of its kind in Spain and, truth be told, I haven't found any others elsewhere while searching online. And that's why I wanted to write about them, because I
believe that the enthusiasm and entrepreneurship of these people should inspire others, everywhere. Nowadays the segment of society that is nearing old age has such a long and healthy life expectancy that it pushes them to think outside the box. Trabensol is a solidary, logical and pioneer solution that could serve as example to people in many of our members' nations because there is not doubt that this Shared Utopia, as members of the Trabensol coop call it, is a wonderful example in every aspect.
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