Reader’s Digest International — August 2017

August• 2017 | 85

becomeapastrychef,”Jonatanex-

plained. “I needed to find somewhere

to live, practically immediately.”

It wasn’t easy. Helsinki is one of the

most expensive cities to live in the

world. Then he heard about a new

city programme called Oman Muo-

toinen Koti, or ‘The House That Fits’.

“It’s the most genius idea, young-

sters and older people living to-

gether,” he continued. “We can help

each other!”

And so began a friendship be-

tween the elderly woman who’d

spent ten years watching the seasons

pass outside her window and the

young man who brought the outside

in – sometimes with home-made

cinnamon buns.

“I like cinnamon buns,” said Taimi.

WITH HOUSING COSTSclimbing

out of reach for those without a deep

pocket across Europe, the US and

other parts of the world, and with gov-

ernments cutting health-care spend-

ing, intergenerational retirement

homes in various forms are starting

to spring up to help fill the gap.

One of the first people to have that

‘genius idea’ was Gea Sijpkes, director

of Humanitas, a low-rise yellow brick

At Rudolf Seniors’ Home in Helsinki, friends and housemates Jonatan Shaya and

Taimi Taskinen have a shared passion for painting – and cinnamon buns

PHOTO: JUHO KUVA