The seniors housing industry gets a lot of attention. From CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities) right through the continuum to nursing homes, there’s a constant supply of news ideas, new designs, new technology. It’s important, because over 2 million Americans live in these locations. But…
Have you heard of NORCs?
Most haven’t. Yet five times as many people live in NORCs compared to planned retirement or “seniors” housing.
That’s right. NORCs — the initials stand for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities — are home to over 10 million older Americans (and maybe as high as 15 million, because estimates vary). The term was first coined in the 1980s by New York social worker Michael Hunt, who observed that some neighborhoods were naturally evolving into hubs for older people, and that this concentration presented both challenges and opportunities.
NORCs matter. They should be an important part of our discourse on independent living, because they can serve as efficient channels for providing health, wellness and social services to promote independent living and counter the effects of loneliness and isolation.
A NORC can be a relatively small number of buildings, typically low-rise or medium-rise apartments, or a more widespread community of detached houses covering an area about the size of a typical public school catchment area.
There are three categories of NORCs:
– “Classic” or “vertical” NORCs are apartment buildings
– “Neighborhood-based” or “horizontal” NORCs are houses, mostly single-family but sometimes two-family
– “Rural,” sometimes called NORRs (Naturally Occurring Retirement Region) cover a wider geographical area with a lower density of population
How does a NORC come about? In some cases, there has been an influx of older people — for example, seniors moving in to an apartment building or apartment complex. In other cases, it’s been the opposite: a housing subdivision, for example, could have been substantially populated by young couples when it was first built, and those early residents simply stayed put. So the whole community aged over time.
State and local governments recognize the importance of NORCs, and offer various forms of support. New York State, for example, currently funds 43 NORCs. The range of services can include healthcare management and monitoring, transportation, personal care, visiting programs, outreach activities, recreational and cultural activities, and more. In some cases, grants require matching funds from residents or private organizations.
There’s a substantial volunteer component, as well. In some cases, residents of a NORC pay a fee to receive a menu of additional benefits. In St. Louis, for example, residents are invited to pay an annual membership fee of $25 to $50, and in return receive access to cultural, recreational and wellness programs, opportunities to engage socially, reduced membership fees to local fitness centers, tech assistance by trained volunteers, and a membership card entitling them to discounts at various local area merchants.
Autonomy is one of the 7 A’s of SuperAging, and we often write about the importance of independent living and aging in place. Here is a powerful engine for just that — and it’s already taking place, on a massive scale, more or less under the radar. We’re happy to shine the spotlight on the NORC phenomenon, and our future plans include reaching out to some of the people who are making these local neighborhoods happen, like the folks in St. Louis, and learning more about the dynamics.
Definitely a topic worth following!