Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities Cuyahoga County

1. Naturally Occurring Retirement CommunitiesCuyahoga County

2. Local NORC program • Created over 14 years ago • Program of a large local non-profit • Employs the tools of community organizing • Socio-environmental approach to health and social service provision • Empowerment concept is actively incorporated into all levels of the program - staff, volunteers, clients

3. Goals • Build community infrastructure supports • Provide options on information, referrals, and assistance • Empower seniors • Link seniors to commercial, recreational, health, social and other services and activities that seniors choose

4. Population Served • Live in mid-rise privately-owned rental buildings in eastern suburbs of Cuyahoga • Seniors comprise at least 60% of the tenants • Typical NORC resident is female widow in mid - 80’s • Begin participation while still active

5. Guiding Principles • MARKET rather than prescribe services – make information available (consumer direction) • LINK residents with community-based support services (consumer direction) • WORK with residents to develop community among residents of NORC (uses skills of community organizing) • ASSIST residents in creating social programming opportunities which meet recreational, educational, and health needs of the NORC community (uses skills of community organizing)

6. Applying the Empowerment Concept

7. Strengths-based Approach recognizes that Aging • Is a normal process of life • Is not to be perceived as an accumulation of deficits • Looks at each person in terms of strengths s/he has to maintain or improve his/her quality of life

8. General Operating Principles • Charge the cost of producing every social/recreational event • Promotes dignity • Encourages decision-making • Provides instant feedback to staff • Contributes to staff staying consumer-focused • Re-think the price, activity and the value to consumer when few are willing to buy and participate

9. Acquire sufficient information on NORC residents to be effective • Needs assessments not necessary • Respect person’s privacy • Record minimal information about NORC senior resident • Key demographics, address, phone • Services requested, referrals provided and used • Minimize amount of paperwork needed to operate program

10. Work of a Resource Coordinator Outreach and Community Organizing • Knock on doors to meet senior • Conducts brief market survey to learn about residents’ interests, needs • Proactive approach, rather than wait for them to come to on-site office • Actively recruits volunteers for the program and assigns tasks • Have volunteer at all events (10-30% of participants are volunteers) • Fosters ownership of program

11. Identifies leaders to become members of the advisory council • Over time (6 months – 1 year) advisory council members will self-select • Usually it is the people who volunteer • Maintains regular contact to build trust with seniors • Seeks continuous input from residents • Searches for opportunities to empower seniors • Tenant managed programs

12. Service Coordination • Provide at least 3 referrals for each service request • Follow-up on their disposition • Ask consumer his/her grade of the service delivery • Broadly disseminate information on available community-based services • Flyers, programs, newsletters

13. How Seniors (as Empowered Consumers) Shape Better Service Delivery • Make informed decisions leading to more appropriate and effective use of services • Information continuously disseminated creating an information rich environment • Provide options on all service • Service providers become more accountable • Empowered senior consumers ask for quality service • Database holds consumer’s ratings of service providers

14. Partnerships with providers arise organically from the ground-up • Community Options seniors requested a convenient way to buy stamps and mail packages, rather than drive to branch and stand in line • Now have “Post Office on Wheels” at each site • Fosters entrepreneurship of niche services that meet specific needs • In-home beautician • Podiatrists who make house calls

15. Use economies of scale to broker affordable services • Requested proposals from three window washer providers • Seniors at advisory council made the selection • Good for seniors because it reinforces their ability to problem-solve and continue to make decisions

16. Evaluation • Purpose • Measure Consumer Satisfaction • With program and Resource Coordinator • Measure Consumer Perception • Of program’s impact on their lives – outcomes

17. Methodology • Survey distributed to active participants • Both closed and open-ended questions used • Final consumer survey consisted of 26 questions • All surveys completed anonymously

18. Evaluation Results of Empowerment Model 82% of participants have more confidence in their ability to continue living where they currently reside 80% have more contact with neighbors 71% are better able to access help when needed 65% help neighbors in some way 60% feel better about self 60% feel more control of life

19. Working towards sustainability • Apartment Building owners contribute to the NORC program • Participants are increasingly contributing philanthropic dollars to the operation of the NORC program • This is in addition to paying for the cost of each recreational/social event

20. Virtual Neighborhoods - the next generation of NORCs • Density of population is established via the Internet • Google Groups is the virtual NORC • --not limited to physical proximity • Recognizes that the group needs to build community so • using social gatherings to build community and trust • Relying on two very committed people to build the program with some external advice • Working towards establishing a service exchange co-op

21. Seniors enjoy enhanced quality of life… THE KIND OF LIFE WE ALL WANT