Do you think that the idea of single caregivers to pool resources (buy a large house together) and live together with loved ones would work?

Depending on the level of health of each parent, it possibly would work at first, but as each parent declined into dementia each single caregiver would feel overwhelmed with their 24/7 needs. Plus, I wonder where all of the financing for the large house would come from.

I like the idea very much, but the major problem would be to get the older people out of their own homes. Many of us are caring for parents in their homes because we can't get them out, even with a shoe horn. I think the idea of community living is a wonderful one if we could get around that main problem.

Good idea as long as each Caregiver pulls their own weight. You will need to find someone who doesn't mind cooking for 6 people of which some might need special diets. You will need to find someone who doesn't mind cleaning/laundry for such a large home with 6 bedrooms on a regular basis. You will need to find someone who doesn't mind driving all the parents to their doctor appointments, etc.

Will the 3 Caregivers be all on board with paying their share of the mortgage, the property taxes, house insurance [you'd probably need extra insurance for a group home], for the utilities. And share in the cost of the groceries, which could cause some problems if one parent and/or caregiver is a light eater and another treats the meals like a free-all-you-can-eat buffet.

Very old idea. Hippie communes of the 60's were founded on this principle. There are none left. Same with Soviet Union, which went belly up in 1991

The administrative details would be tough. The three people would be just as much work to take care of as they were in a smaller house, the interactions among them could be wonderfully enriching or a constant irritant. In addition to the normal household tasks, and caregiving tasts, there would be administrative issues, like how to recruit a new pair when one had to drop out. When your loved one died or had to move to a higher-care level facility, you presumably would have to move out too. Or continue paying one-third of the costs while only using 1/6 of the resources.

There is something appealing about communal caregiving arrangements. But I think it would be a full-time job to administer it.

There's a movement called co-housing which is a variation on your original theme. Here's an article about aging in place and co-housing.

northcarolinahealthnews/2012/05/30/aging-in-place-nc-seniors-are-shaping-their-futures/

There's another movement called village-to-village, which is to help people age in place. It's not exactly what you're proposing, but another interesting variation to think about. Here's info on it:

vtvnetwork/content.aspx?page_id=0&club_id=691012

Thank you all for your thoughts on the idea - great things to keep in mind. Blannie, thank you for the articles, I will take a look.

I think it would be distressing and overwhelming. Too many interactions to balance, as well as the logistics.