Seniors discover Golden Girls living helps to save money in therecession

[caption id="attachment_4682" align="alignleft" width="196" caption="Bea Arthur"][/caption]



Carol Forsloff - Seniors
listen up, it's Golden Girls time again, this time in the shared living
business so that folks can pool resources and get through the
recession.  It is a fast-moving industry that seems to help folks in
hard times.


The Golden Girls television program that was a series

lasting for years brought a wide audience of appreciation.  It showed
senior women, over age 55, living together as singles, looking glamorous
and sharing social activities as well as housing arrangements.

This
way of living and helping with finances has taken hold in the
recession, helping many seniors be able to keep their homes and avoid
foreclosure.

Years ago, while a college student, this reporter
answered an ad for a lodger.  It turned out the other residents in the
house were all over the age of 70.  These women were looking for a young
woman to live in the house to help run errands and to be that "young
company" they needed to feel like they were part of the community in
some ways.  The owner of the house mowed her own lawn and lived simply.
Most of her residents lived alone, had few relatives, and had
difficulty with errands and chores because of physical infirmities.

The
living arrangement for seniors, with the addition of a young person,
was a win-win for everyone.  The seniors had a resource for a little
extra attention and help.  A young college student had a nice bedroom
and very little rent, with the added benefit of affection from lonely
women who liked having someone to love.

The benefit of having
company in old age is also found in this type of arrangement, something
mental health professionals say is a good thing for both mental and
physical well being.

This way of shared housing is here for the
moment, and whether it's a strategy that lasts, no one knows.  But for
getting through those golden years, some golden girls have found the
route through a difficult passage in age and to help them save money as

well.