It鈥檚 about 9 a.m. on a Friday, and Ms. Sheila Caldwell is cheerfully setting up a continental breakfast for the seniors at West Lakes in Orlando.
It鈥檚 鈥淲est Lakes鈥� for short, but residents renamed it 鈥淭he Communities of West Lakes,鈥� after the five historic Black neighborhoods near Camping World Stadium in 2016 with Lift Orlando, a nonprofit committed to revitalizing the .
West Lakes is part of a growing trend of what are called intentional communities, which allow residents a say in how their community grows and operates. At the Pendana Senior Residences, Ms. Sheila is in charge of the activities
This morning, she鈥檚 arranging fruit, hard-boiled eggs, and bagels with cream cheese, when fellow resident Ms. Bernice comes in. Though she moves slowly with her walker, she鈥檚 still the first one here.
鈥淚'm making some tea for Ms. Bernice. She likes hot tea in the morning. So, that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 gonna do 鈥� make her some tea,鈥� she says, placing a cup of water in the microwave.
This is Ms. Sheila鈥檚 routine. Every Tuesday and Friday she hosts both breakfast and lunch socials for her community. Today is a little special because Ms. Bernice is turning 85, and two other ladies also have birthdays soon.
Although Ms. Sheila is retired and on disability now, she used to work as a mental health counselor and planned many activities for patients so this role suits her well. But here, it鈥檚 more than just party planning. Ms. Sheila takes out the trash for the other residents, accompanies them to doctor appointments, sometimes she even takes the bus or walks to the store to get their groceries and medications.
鈥淚t's just like a regular job, girl. I don't even go home when I鈥檓 supposed to go home,鈥� Ms. Sheila says laughing.
Ms. Sheila says it鈥檚 a labor of love, but it鈥檚 clear her neighbors love her too. Neighbors like Luviser Beck.
鈥淢s. Sheila is our little rock, as we call it. She prepares everything for us here and is right on point. She can never be replaced,鈥� she says.
At 66 years old, Ms. Sheila is one of the youngest residents in this social group. Before living here, she spent more than two years at Aspire after the stress of caring for others and doing too much ended her with a nervous breakdown and a depression diagnosis.
She says that caring for her neighbors now is good for her mental, physical, and emotional health and a big part of why she loves the intention behind the West Lakes campus.
鈥淚 enjoy everybody. We just sit down, talk, play games, arts & crafts, all kinds of things,鈥� Ms. Sheila says.
Post-pandemic, loneliness and isolation have become global public health , with the U.S. Surgeon General an epidemic in 2023. But changes to health, like loss of mobility, vision, and social connection, put older adults at a higher risk.
A growing number of what are called 鈥渋ntentional communities鈥� address these issues.
Linda Fried, of the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, has focused her research on frailty and healthy aging. She has been calling for innovative housing where older adults can not just live but thrive.
鈥淗ow we design housing for the future will enable older people to be part of the community in the ways that they want to be and foster health and well being through connection and cohesion,鈥� Fried said.
Intentional communities are sprouting up all across the U.S. with different goals and targeting different demographics. What often connects them is a focus on marginalized groups.
Historians have the origins of intentional communities as part of the 鈥渟ocial fabric of American life,鈥� getting its start in the 1800s, as self-selecting communities were built upon similar values and religious beliefs 鈥� one example is Mormon communes, when members of the church migrated west in the 1840s.
After World War II, anti-war sentiments began taking shape in California and Oregon as communes called 鈥渁lternative communities,鈥� many done in protest and for self-sustainability.
A resurgence has emerged in the last 10 years, after the lockdowns of COVID-19, when many found themselves navigating a worsening housing crisis amid isolation orders, forcing many into housing insecurity and cohabitation.
In Oregon, Bridge Meadows is a trauma-informed serving foster families. Executive Director Derenda Schubert has said intentional communities, especially for older adults, should provide universal access to safe, intergenerational housing, where open, shared spaces help bring it all together. It鈥檚 a holistic approach.
鈥淚t's the idea of bringing the different generations together because, really, what's good for the little ones is good for the elders, and vice versa, and everyone in between,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's this degree of connection that naturally happens, opportunities for people to gather in a community room 鈥� the community room is really the heartbeat.鈥�
West Lakes checks all the boxes.
The community is by Orange Blossom Trail to the east and John Young Parkway to the west, right by Lake Lorna Doone Park and Camping World Stadium. Since its redevelopment, it鈥檚 now equipped with its own health and wellness center, a community caf茅, recreational grounds, and across 200 mixed-family units in the Pendana I buildings are 120 in Pendana II.
According to Lift Orlando President Eddy Moratin, at West Lakes, the residents have a seat at the table. All part of the plan and done with nothing but intention, he said. Down to the name itself 鈥� Pendana means 鈥渓ove one another鈥� in Swahili.
鈥淭he idea to really create an affordable, safe and dignified place for our seniors to be able to age in place and experience community and be connected to the larger neighborhood was an important goal,鈥� Moratin said.
The senior building has color coded floors to help jog memory, and every unit has a cubby hole in the wall next to the door that residents can decorate to make their place easier to recognize.
鈥淭he idea was to really create something that really elevated people's sense of dignity and capability and independence while still being in the strong community of peers,鈥� the nonprofit鈥檚 president said.
Back at the breakfast social, Ms. Sheila and the other senior residents sing Stevie Wonder鈥檚 version of the happy birthday song and laugh heartily. It鈥檚 clear that they鈥檙e making memories, building new relationships, and still growing 鈥� even in their golden years.
鈥淚 want to stay here. I'm not going nowhere,鈥� Ms. Sheila says laughing. 鈥淚 love it here.鈥�
In the communal kitchen, Ms. Sheila is opening a new pack of napkins to lay out for the party. Looking down at the napkins, focusing on her task, she can hear her neighbors being loud and having fun out in the fellowship hall, which makes her chuckle and shake her head.
With a bounce in her step, she walks the napkins out 鈥� on her face, an expression of satisfaction. She says her heart is full.
Lillian Hern谩ndez Caraballo is a Report for America corps member. This report was supported by Columbia University鈥檚 Age Boom Academy, a joint program of the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center and the Columbia Journalism School.
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