Aging Gracefully in Community

5-Week Online Course

Learn about challenges and realities of aging gracefully in community, whether intergenerational or senior, and find meaning and connection.

Course fee: $99-$249 USD

Course description and syllabus

The final third of one’s life is a distinct phase and worthy of special attention.

In the Aging Gracefully in Community course, we’ll look at how intentional communities present unique opportunities to meet the needs of seniors—and we’ll paint a realistic picture of the challenges you might face, and offer suggestions for how to address them. We will also lay out what to look for when assessing whether a particular community might be a good fit for you.

Your experienced instructor, Laird Schaub, will unpack both the challenges and opportunities, so you can learn how to age with grace in community.

Live classes are hosted on Zoom. All classes are recorded and available on our learning platform within 24 hours after each class ends and through 30 days after the last class.

Classes and topics in the Aging Gracefully in Community syllabus include:

1st Class: Seniors in Society Today: Framing Elderhood in a Positive Light

mainstream prospects through the end of life
seeing the final third of life in a positive light
prospects for seniors in community; redefining security
contributing to community; the concept of social capital
what it takes to be happy in community

2nd Class: Reimagining Your Senior Years in Community

embracing elderhood
how intentional community can support a great life for seniors
options for seniors in community living and cost to join
overview of intergenerational vs senior communities
reimagining the senior years
making room for younger folks

3rd Class: Integrating Seniors into Community Life

talking about it!
the intersection of participation, social capital, and diminished capacities
safety and cognitive decline considerations
the synergy of intergenerational populations

4th Class: Creating Support Teams for Elders

the case for creating a support team
the support team mandate
balancing transparency and discretion
how to select support team members

5th Class: The Hard Conversations!

limits of support from the community
limits of diversity within community

Course schedule

Your instructors

The Art of Facilitation for Cooperative Groups and Working Constructively with Conflict in Community instructor image

Laird Schaub

Laird’s specialty is up-tempo inclusive meetings that engage the full range of human input, teaching groups to work creatively with conflict and diversity—all the while being ruthless about capturing as much product as possible. He lived for four decades at Sandhill Farm, an income-sharing rural community that he helped found.
Laird also helped found the Foundation for Intentional Community, where he served as the main administrator for 28 years. In 1987, he created a self-insurance fund for healthcare among income-sharing communities called PEACH (Preservation of Equity Accessible for Community Health) that he ran for 22 years.
In addition to his expertise in community living, he’s parlayed his passion for good process into a consulting business focused on cooperative group dynamics, styled CANBRIDGE (Consensus And Network Building for Resolving Impasse and Developing Group Effectiveness), since 1987.

Read his blog Laird’s Commentary on Community and Consensus

Testimonials

“[I appreciated] the participants ,their views and life lessons. I recommend [Aging Gracefully in Community] as it helps drive conversations and how to carefully and lovingly process through the issues.”

-Beth Hart

“I enjoyed listening to Laird. He is very personable and his presentation and slides were great. This is a very critical topic that our community needs to address so I am grateful that I got to participate in the class.”

-Nancy Weaver

“I really found Lairds knowledge and easy going style very helpful. I also appreciated the input of all the participants who shared in whatever way. I have a much better feel for whether I’d go forward with living in an intentional community at this stage.”

-Len Satov

“I enjoyed being with a mix of mostly elders some of whom had years of experience in various types of intentional communities and others of who were considering joining intentional communities. The instructor did a good job of drawing out the knowledge of the participants while also sharing his own knowledge and experiences.”

-Marilyn Hanna-Myrick

The elements of an online course

Online learning platform

Once you register, you’ll get access to our learning area that includes:

class slides and other course materials
class video recordings, audio files, and transcripts for learning on the go
recommended books with access to course participant discount
a dedicated discussion forum to connect with your classmates

Live interactive sessions via Zoom

Each week you join a 2-hour live class with the course instructor, where you learn in a group setting with:

engaging presentations
group discussions
the opportunity for questions and answers, and personalized support
group activities via private breakout groups

Classes are recorded if you miss one.

Journey with a cohort

You’ll join participants from around the world how, like you, want to learn how to be better communitarians. Benefits include:

opportunities to connect with like-minded people
opportunities to share ideas and stories
a network of support to carry your community project forward