In Helsinki, Finland, where young people traditionally leave home at 18 but can no longer afford urban rents, Millennials are applying by the hundreds to live with the elderly.
According to Kae Lani Kennedy at Matador Network, “Retirement homes are serving as more than a community for the elderly. These facilities are providing affordable housing for the city’s growing population of homeless millennials.
“ ‘It’s almost like a dorm, but the people aren’t young. They’re old,’ explains Emil Bostrom, a participant in ‘A Home That Fits,’ a new housing project that allows millennials to move into retirement communities. Bostrom is a 24-year-old kindergarten teacher, and though he has a steady income, it is not enough to compete with 90,000 other renters in a city that has roughly 60,000 affordable rental properties. …
“Bostrom, along with many other young adults, can enjoy discounted rent in exchange for socializing with the seniors in their community. …
“By interacting with a younger generation, the elderly involved with ‘A Home That Fits’ have the opportunity to be engaged in an active and diverse community, instead of being left behind in a forgotten generation.” More here.
And check out a post I wrote about the same phenomenon in Cleveland, here. Both initiatives sound like fun to me.
Video: Seeker Stories
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
I’m back! And I like reading about these initiatives. I kind of curious about practical aspects of it all–how do they ensure that the elderly are treated with respect, how do they deal with inevitable interpersonal issues, etc.? Not that i’m asking you to answer those questions–I just get curious . . .
I really miss you when you are away, so welcome home! I had the same questions, but in the video, one young man talks about how hard he worked on the application bcs there was a lot of competition. Perhaps they ask him to demonstrate in some way how much he likes old folks. And maybe there’s an interview. I always think I can tell how young people feel about their mothers by the way they are with me. Maybe it’s the same for how people feel about old folks. Maybe it shows.