"NORCs" -- or Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities -- refers to a variety of residential housing arrangements (apartments, condominiums, cooperatives, and neighborhoods of attached or single-family dwellings) where large concentrations of older adults reside. NORCs exist in every demographic sphere -- urban, suburban and rural; and evolve naturally primarily through the aging in place of the population or through large-scale migration of seniors to particular buildings or neighborhoods.

According to the most recent data, more than 85% of all seniors in this country want to, or by necessity, will remain living in their homes, even as they grow frail. Most homes and communities where seniors reside were neither designed nor intended to meet the needs and challenges to daily living that come with age. This trend is expected to continue well into the future, as AARP research of a broader pool of adults (45+) tracks the same preference of aging in place.

The Jewish federation system has taken a lead role in the promotion of aging in place through the development and implementation of its National NORC 'Aging in Place' Initiative. This initiative assists Jewish social service agencies to secure federal demonstration grants to design and initiate NORC-Supportive Service Programs (NORC-SSPs) to deliver a basket of health and supportive services to senior NORC residents (Jews and non-Jews alike) at or near their homes. The programs strive to empower communities to prevent and solve their own problems; engage and recognize seniors as valued members of their communities; and enable seniors to safely and securely age in place with dignity and quality of life. 

NORC-SSPs vary from community to community as they are predicated on the particular needs and wants of each community, as well as the specific strengths and abilities each community brings. Generally, each encompasses four focal points: case management, assistance, and social work; health care management, assistance, and prevention; education, socialization, and recreation activities; and volunteerism. Individually, the mix of second tier services can vary greatly and may include one or more of the following: adult day care; nutrition, and fitness programs; transportation; home and personal care services; congregate meals and meal delivery; information referral; intergenerational programming; home modifications; emergency response; mental health counseling; financial planning; and more.

The NORC-SSP paradigm distinguishes itself from other supportive service models by: offering services at or in close proximity to where the seniors live; its reliance on community activism and volunteerism (of healthy seniors and younger volunteers); and the use of a variety of public and private funding sources to sustain the programs, including building owners and managers. Furthermore, NORC supportive service programs are comprehensive in nature and aim to build (or rebuild) the social fabric of the community -- infuse the older adult population into the heart of the community. 

The National NORC "Aging in Place" Initiative comes at the cusp of the aging tidal wave that will lead to the doubling of the older adult population over the next two decades. Its goal to more efficiently and effectively deliver supportive services to seniors is ripe for national attention, as increasing choice in community-based care for older adults is one of the U.S. Administration on Aging's leading public policy directives, and the U.S. Congress is grappling with the sustainability of the country's long-term care systems (namely, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security), in the face of the pending retirement of the Baby Boomers.