Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities Programs
Learn more about some of the many approaches that are helping older adults age in place with improved safety, health and quality of life outcomes.
- Topics
- Aging in place
- Cultural Safety
- Health workforce
- Audience
Healthcare leader
Person with lived/living experience
Point of care provider
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A Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) is a community where a large proportion of residents are older adults, typically over 60 years old, but the area was not originally designed for older adult living. NORCs Programs offer an adaptable model to meet the health and social needs of diverse and evolving naturally occurring retirement communities.
Grounded in a relational approach, NORCs encourage active participation, enabling residents to take initiative in shaping their community, strengthening neighbour-to-neighbour connections, building trusted relationships and co-creating supports and a network that enables coordinated support across community and health systems.
About this Promising Practice
The University Health Network NORC Innovation Centre (NIC) merges integrated care delivery with a community development approach to provide new options for aging in place. NIC NORC Programs apply one of three models of NORC delivery, which all are centred around the principles of being community-led, partnership based and data driven but differ in terms of their staffing model and level of health service integration.
Program: Enabling Aging in Place
Location: Toronto, Ontario
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Enabling Aging in Place
Through the Enabling Aging in Place collaborative, 26 health and social service organizations worked alongside older adults, care partners and community partners to strengthen locally grounded, person-centred approaches shaped by lived experience and real-world conditions. Together, they advanced practical ways to bring care closer to home and support people to live safely and well in their communities.