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A Sixty and Me report describes how three women in their 70s living in the same building in Cuenca, Ecuador, developed an informal system for checking on and helping one another. Their arrangements include shared emergency contacts and spare keys; one friend also bought another’s apartment after its owner decided to sell. The group’s longer-term plans, including funding in-home care, remain under discussion.
A Sixty and Me report describes three women in their 70s who have built an informal support network in their apartment building in Cuenca, Ecuador, combining regular check-ins and emergency planning as they seek to remain independent. The account also describes a practical intervention: after one woman’s landlord decided to sell her apartment, another friend bought it, allowing her to stay in the building.
The women—identified in the report as Blake, Emma and the author—met after moving into a restored colonial building. They were not looking for formal aging-in-place partners, the author writes. Their friendship grew from drinks and dinners into conversations, mutual encouragement and practical attention to one another’s well-being. Their living arrangements differ: Blake rents, while Emma and the author own their apartments.
The trio first tried morning and evening check-ins, but found them too frequent. They now use what the author calls a “three-day rule”: if they have not heard from one another for three days, they make contact. Each woman also has a spare key to the others’ apartments, with additional keys hidden in locations known to the group.
Their preparations include an emergency group on their phones with the three friends and other trusted people nearby. The women have also made laminated contact sheets listing emergency services, hospitals, doctors, legal contacts and people with medical proxy or power-of-attorney roles. The report says they have discussed setting up a shared fund to pay for in-home care in the future, but have not settled the plan.
Planning Care Through Friendship
The account offers a specific example of how aging in place can involve relationships as well as housing. Grab bars, accessible bathrooms and nearby medical services can help make a home suitable for later life, but the report highlights another concern: who will notice when someone needs assistance, and who can act quickly?
The women’s system is informal, not a substitute for professional care or a guaranteed safety arrangement. Still, shared keys, emergency contacts and agreed check-ins give the group a way to communicate and respond. Their experience may be relevant to older adults who live alone, including people without a spouse or nearby family, as they consider what support they can build around their homes.
The apartment purchase also shows how their connection has moved beyond routine companionship. Emma’s decision helped Blake remain in the building, according to the report. It is a personal act, not evidence that this approach is broadly available or financially workable for other groups.
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From Neighbors to Support Partners
The report begins with familiar questions about remaining at home as people age: whether stairs, narrow hallways or bathrooms could create barriers, and whether medical care is nearby. It then turns to the author’s experience with two neighbors. The women’s arrangements developed gradually rather than through a formal program, beginning with social gatherings and becoming more personal over time.
In the account, the change from companionship to practical support came through small decisions: agreeing on a check-in threshold, exchanging keys, and writing down emergency information. The group’s ambitions have also expanded. They have considered inviting other building residents into their plans and renting another apartment in the building if they eventually need a caregiver or nurse nearby. Those ideas are still at the discussion stage.
“I call them my “thinking friends” because our conversations are substantive and deep.”
— The report’s author, describing the friends
Care Plans Still Taking Shape
The account does not give the women’s full names, the report’s publication date, or details about the legal and financial arrangements around Emma’s purchase of Blake’s apartment. It also does not say whether the three-day check-in plan has been tested in an emergency or how the women would handle a situation in which none of them could respond.
The proposed shared care fund remains an idea, with its terms and management unresolved. The report does not specify how much money the women might contribute, whether other residents will join, or what professional care would cost. It describes one group’s experience, not a tested model or a guarantee that friends can meet one another’s future care needs.
The Group’s Next Planning Steps
The women say they are still working through the logistics of a possible shared fund and have considered whether other people in their building might want to take part. Any next step would require decisions about contributions, access to funds and how care would be arranged if one or more members needed help.
For now, the described system consists of check-ins, keys and emergency information, alongside the friends’ ongoing relationship. The source does not announce a formal organization, a completed care plan or a timeline for further action.
Key Questions
What is the three-day rule?
According to the report, the friends check in if they have not heard from one another for three days. They previously tried morning and evening messages but decided that routine was too demanding.
What emergency preparations have the women made?
They have exchanged spare keys, created a phone emergency group with other trusted people, and prepared laminated contact sheets listing services and personal contacts. The account does not say that these arrangements have been formally tested.
Did the friends establish a fund for caregiving?
No. The women have discussed creating an interest-bearing fund to help pay for in-home care in the future, but the report says they are still working out the logistics.
Why did one friend buy another’s apartment?
Blake’s landlord decided to sell the apartment, raising the possibility that she would have to leave the building. The report says Emma bought the apartment after selling an investment property, so Blake could remain near the group.
Source: rss
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