“We don’t deny our age. We deny the cultural scripts about what it means to be an older person.” That’s Mary Pipher, clinical psychologist and best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia, Another Country and her newest book, Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age.

Experienced professionals have much to offer employers and volunteer organizations—and it’s not just “been there, done that.” It’s about deeper insight, more profound intuition, emotional intelligence and more. 

Chip Conley is the founder and former CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV) and later, Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. In his latest act, he’s an author and founder of Modern Elder Academy, the world's first midlife wisdom school. In the latest episode of Share Your Story, Silvernest CEO Wendi Burkhardt and co-host Patricia Raskin spoke with Chip about how the work world is starting to more fully appreciate the value of having elders on staff. 

There are so many seniors facing loneliness and isolation every day. Adult children may live across the country. Friends and neighbors have moved or passed on. It’s hard for fiercely independent people to reach out for support and senior services—especially if they don’t even know those support networks and services exist. 

Maybe you identify as a Baby Boomer. You might have kids in Gen X. That young person at the coffee shop is Gen Y. Don’t you sometimes think all of these generational labels just serve to keep people apart? 

In the latest installment of our Experts in Aging interview series, we spoke with Annamarie Pluhar, author of Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates. For over 20 years, Pluhar has focused her career on providing tips, resources, tools and guidance to people considering bringing someone into their home or renting a space in someone else’s. We spoke about the financial impacts of aging, how increased life expectancy is changing our culture and how homeowners are finding the right housemate.

According to Out & Visible, a 2017 study from SAGE, the number of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender elders in America is growing rapidly. By 2030, there will be roughly 7 million LGBTQ+ adults over 50 nationwide, more than double the current estimate. 

We all need a safe and affordable place to live, with friends and neighbors to share our lives. These are universal human concerns. However, the LGBTQ+ community faces unique housing issues and a greater risk of isolation and loneliness as they age.

Silvernest, Encore and Service Year Alliance are partnering to bring affordable housing to young people committed to a service year in San Jose, California!

Friend of Silvernest Annamarie Pluhar has been homesharing for twenty years and now helps housemates with expert tips and advice through her website, www.sharinghousing.com.

Below are some of her tips for determining what you want in a housemate and identifying the characteristics  that will make or break the relationship.

Tim rents a room in Suz's house in Arvada, CO. They've developed a sweet friendship. Watch their homesharing story here!