In Spain, there are currently 16 programs for young and elderly people to share housing. Various studies highlight the psychological and health benefits of this type of relationship.

91–year-old Conchita Satorres, a widow who lived alone in Barcelona, sought a roommate to break her isolation. Instead of advertising, she approached the Roure Foundation, a Catalan NGO specializing in elderly care, to join their intergenerational cohabitation program. After several interviews, 30-year-old Mexican Carla Argentina moved in. Initially strangers, over time they became friends, then family. Intergenerational cohabitation programs have grown in popularity in Europe, addressing both the housing difficulties faced by young people and the unwanted loneliness of the elderly. Recent studies have highlighted the benefits of these programs, including a reduction in ageism among younger participants, improved physical health in the elderly, and lower rates of depression. Despite societal shifts towards nuclear families and increasing numbers of people living alone, these programs hark back to the extended family model with multi-generational cohabitation. In Conchita and Carla’s case, Carla provided companionship in exchange for free rent. Their relationship evolved beyond the initial contractual terms, with mutual learning, shared activities, and a deepening friendship. Such programs, which began 25 years ago in Spain, now number 16 across the country, showing that intergenerational cohabitation can be beneficial for all parties involved.