A new analysis suggests that cohabitating with three equally destitute strangers may lead to a statistically significant decrease in severe exposure to the elements among older adults.
The study, published Tuesday in a leading medical journal, followed 4,200 seniors who adopted a home-sharing living arrangement to combat the acute symptoms of rising rent. While early observations indicate that pooling multiple fixed incomes can effectively stave off immediate financial ruin, experts caution against viewing the so-called "Golden Girls" model as a universal cure for the systemic failure of the housing market.
While we are seeing promising indications that sleeping on a converted sun-porch at age 84 correlates with an ability to purchase groceries, larger clinical trials are required before we can recommend this intervention universally.
Dr. Lin noted that the findings rely heavily on observational surveys and that the correlation between splitting a single bathroom four ways and surviving the winter does not definitively prove causation. The CDC has thus far declined to issue formal guidance on the protocol, citing a lack of longitudinal data regarding the adverse physiological effects of sharing a refrigerator shelf with a roommate who refuses to label their perishables.
The authors of the study disclosed a potential conflict of interest, noting that the trial was partially funded by a real estate conglomerate that recently raised the participants' rent by an additional 14 percent. At press time, researchers recommended that vulnerable seniors consult their primary care physicians to determine if acquiring sudden generational wealth might be a safer alternative.