New Beginnings: The Ultimate Checklist for an Exciting Retirement Downsizing Adventure!

What Is HomeShare?The SWFL Senior HomeShare program connects seniors who own homes with seniors seeking affordable housing. This voluntary matching program helps homeowners offset rising costs while offering home seekers safe, stable, and affordable living arrangements.Importantly, HomeShare is not a caregiving or assisted living program. All participants must be able to live independently without full-time care or assistance.How It WorksThe HomeShare process is simple, secure, and thoughtfully designed to ensure compatibility and comfort for everyone involved. Apply Complete the online application or download a form to submit. Screening Applicants complete background checks and interviews for safety and peace of mind. Matching We connect compatible homeowners and home seekers based on preferences and lifestyle. Agreement Participants create a written household agreement outlining expectations. Move-In Begin your homesharing arrangement and enjoy the benefits of shared living. Benefits of HomesharingFor Homeowners Extra income to offset rising costs Companionship and reduced isolation Shared household responsibilities Ability to stay in your home longer For Home Seekers Affordable, stable housing options Safe and comfortable living environments Community connection and friendship Flexible cost-sharing arrangements Program EligibilityTo participate in SWFL Senior HomeShare, applicants must: Be 55 years or older Be able to live independently (no full-time caregiving needs) Pass a national background check Provide three verifiable references Home seekers: Show proof of income Homeowners: Own a home in good standing Note: This is not emergency housing. Matches are made thoughtfully to create lasting, comfortable arrangements, which may take time. Important DistinctionsWhat HomeShare Is NOT Caregiving program Assisted living Home healthcare Emergency housingWhat HomeShare IS Independent living arrangement Voluntary room-sharing program Cost-sharing partnership Community-based housing solutionUnderstanding Program ResponsibilitiesThe SWFL Senior HomeShare program acts as a facilitator and intermediary, connecting home providers with home seekers safely and fairly.What We Do Screen and interview all applicants Conduct background checks Facilitate introductions between compatible matches Provide agreement templates and helpful resources Offer quarterly check-ins during the first year What We Dont Do Own or control participating properties Enforce agreements between participants Provide legal advice or representation Participate in disputes between home providers and home seekers Your ResponsibilitiesAll homesharing arrangements are voluntary agreements between participants. SWFL Senior HomeShare, the Home Coalition, the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida, and affiliated organizations: Make no guarantees about match outcomes Are not liable for disputes, damages, or issues arising from arrangements Do not verify or guarantee participant-provided information Each participant is responsible for: Deciding whether to accept or reject a match Conducting their own due diligence Seeking legal or financial advice if needed Following fair housing and Florida landlord-tenant laws Frequently Asked QuestionsHow long does matching take?Matching is a careful, individualized process. While some matches happen within weeks, others may take several months. Our priority is quality and compatibilitynot speedto create stable, long-term living arrangements.Who is responsible if theres a problem with my homeshare arrangement?Homeshare agreements are private arrangements between participants. SWFL Senior HomeShare facilitates introductions but is not a party to your agreement and cannot enforce terms or provide legal representation.What is the cost?There is no cost to apply or participate in SWFL Senior HomeShare, thanks to support from the Collaboratory and AARP grants. When a match is made, the first months rent is split 50/50 between the home provider and the program to help sustain operations. Afterward, rent payments are made directly between participants per their agreement, with shared responsibility for utilities and other expenses.Can I choose my match?Absolutely! Participants have full control over their match decisions. We facilitate introductions and provide guidance, but both parties must mutually agree before finalizing any arrangement.What if it doesnt work out?Either party may end the HomeShare agreement with proper written notice. Open communication is encouraged, but if necessary, homeowners may need to follow Floridas legal eviction process. The program can provide guidance but does not intervene in disputes.Building Community Through Connection The SWFL Senior HomeShare program is more than just housingits about connection, independence, and community. By bringing seniors together through shared living, we create meaningful partnerships that reduce isolation, ease financial stress, and help more people age in place safely and comfortably.

November, National Care at Home Month shines a light on a truth thatfamilies across the country already know: healing and comfort are bestdelivered where people feel most at ease at home. At Avow, thisbelief guides us as we have built a continuum of care that supportspatients and families through lifes most important transitions.Our care journey begins with home health. For those recovering fromsurgery or in need of skilled services like advanced wound care orphysical therapy, our home health team is there to provide support.Healing at home, surrounded by familiar routines, can make all thedifference in recovery. A quicker return to strength means individualsare able to resume the activities and daily life that matter most.For individuals facing chronic or serious illnesses, palliative care brings relief, dignity, and guidance.Whether its an adult living with cancer, heart or lung disease, dementia, or kidney failure or achild coping with a serious diagnosis our palliative care team helps ease symptoms, reduceemotional distress, and navigate complex medical decisions. Care can be delivered in ouroutpatient clinic on the Avow campus, at one of our satellite clinics, or directly in the patientshome, always tailored to each persons goals and values. All while working with each patient'sphysicians, providers, and other disease specific treatment and therapeutic professionals.When the time comes for lifes final journey, hospice care ensures patients and families are neveralone. Hospice is not about giving up it is about living fully and meaningfully, wherever someonecalls home: a private residence, nursing facility, or assisted living community. Avow provides musicand massage therapy, pet therapy, spiritual support, and individualized services based on eachpersons needs and interests. Volunteers sit vigil, honor Veterans, and offer presence andcompanionship. Our teams walk beside patients and families, helping them find peace andcomfort in their final days together.And because loss and grief touch every family differently, Avow offers specialized grief supportprograms for children, teens, and adults. These services, provided at no cost thanks to communitygenerosity, help families process grief and discover resilience long after a loss.This is the future of healthcare: a model that walks with people through every stage of life fromrecovery to serious illness, to end of life, and providing grief and healing for loved ones. It is carethat meets people where they are and honors their choices while easing the weight families andcaregivers often carry.National Care at Home Month is not only about celebrating providers and volunteers though theyare heroes every day. It is also about recognizing the immense value of keeping care close,personal, and human. At Avow, we believe care at home is not just healthcare. It is the promise to stand with individuals and families through every phase of lifes journey.

Art challenges the brain to think creatively, analyze and observe the incoming stimulant and form an opinion about what its seeing. But while its assessing the stimuli, it's forging new neuro pathways, improving cognitive function and evoking emotions, which leads to a healthier, happier brain. Studies show that the impact of art on the human brain is profound, so when the North Fort Myers Art Association (NFMAA) approached Gulf Coast Village, Cape Corals only life plan community, about starting an art gallery, a partnership was a natural fit. Details about where art should be hung and how residents could get involved commenced and they launched their first exhibit on Nov. 5, 2024. Over the past year, art has rotated on and off the walls with new collections from residents and members of the association, changing roughly every six weeks. The art that hangs encourages residents, family members and people from the community to slow down and think about what their neighbors and art association members create. Experiencing this consistent influx of new art improves their lifestyle. It's brought life to the hallway, and its a conversation point for our residents who live here. Each day, you can see people pausing in the hallway to review and talk about the art. The coolest thing is that the art not only features art from the association, but also from the residents who call Gulf Coast Village home.Residents arent just enjoying the art on the walls; theyre getting involved with the arts, too. A lot of residents have personal art studios in their apartments, said Sherrie Saidon, Gulf Coast Villages lifestyle coordinator for independent living and gallery curator. It [the partnership with NFMAA] definitely is a community builder.To mark one year of the partnership, the next exhibit, debuting on Nov. 19, will be called Celebration!, a nod to anything worth celebrating especially this impactful relationship. From 2 to 3 p.m., the event will feature a new cycle of art and a meet-and-greet with local artists, and the public is invited to attend.The exhibits featured artist, Judy Biddle, president of NFMAA, has been celebrating art since a young age. When I was about 4 years old, my mother gave me a few coins, which I promptly held up to the frosted window of our Chicago apartment, rejoicing in the myriad of scenes created by the different sizes of circles in the ice on the window, said Biddle.She has been rejoicing in art ever since. This exhibit will be a continuation of Biddles and other artists commitment to celebration in art form. From new babies and weddings to fruitful partnerships, this exhibit will embody everything in life worth celebrating. To continue fostering their relationship as it approaches its one-year anniversary, Gulf Coast Village excitedly offered NFMAA a vacant building to turn into an art studio dubbed The Art House for the association, the community, and residents to participate in a variety of art classes, build friendships and celebrate each other for years to come.About the author Ryan Keller is the regional vice president of senior living operations for Florida for Volunteers of America National Services, the sponsoring organization for Gulf Coast Village. To learn more about Gulf Coast Village, please visit GulfCoastVillage.org or call 239-510-8712.