Q&A
NORCs: Current status and potential expansion in senior programs
1:36:23
ยท
141 sec
Council Member Brewer inquires about the number of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) in senior programs and advocates for their expansion. The Department for the Aging provides current numbers and discusses future planning.
- The department funds 36 NORCs, with additional discretionary funding for others
- Brewer emphasizes the effectiveness of NORCs in addressing mental health issues
- Discussion on the department's planning process for future older adult services, including potential NORC expansion
Gale A. Brewer
1:36:23
Number 2, how many of your senior programs have NORCs?
1:36:27
Just out of your I know you had the chairs had hearings on this before, but since I was one of the founders of NORCs, I'm kinda curious how many of your senior programs?
UNKNOWN
1:36:37
How many NORCs are there?
Gale A. Brewer
1:36:38
Yeah.
UNKNOWN
1:36:38
So, we fund 36, and then I believe there's 22 that are discretionary.
1:36:43
I 22 discretion 36 total.
1:36:45
36 total.
1:36:48
Oh, we can get back to you about how many discretionary, but but 30 we fund 36.
Gale A. Brewer
1:36:51
Okay.
1:36:52
And and and and because the mental health issues could be handled that way.
1:36:56
Is that in other words, many of them have found and been able to address mental health issues.
1:37:01
So my I'm just wondering how many more do you think should be in your programs because there are lots of programs in the world.
1:37:09
Newark is phenomenal.
1:37:11
So the and then having been there, seen that, done that with mental health, it's frightening how many mental health challenges exist and are addressed wonderfully by Nork's.
1:37:21
So do you like, do you have plans to do more?
1:37:24
What's the status, etcetera?
1:37:26
Because you talk about mental health, just put a Nork in, it's addressed.
UNKNOWN
1:37:29
Well, thank you.
1:37:30
That's a very that's very kind.
Gale A. Brewer
1:37:32
I think kind.
1:37:33
It's just it like how it works.
1:37:34
Go ahead.
1:37:35
I'm sorry.
UNKNOWN
1:37:35
No.
1:37:35
I was gonna say, I think back to to what Ryan was saying earlier about planning for older adult centers.
1:37:39
So we actually the RFP that we did last time and that we, and when we renew contracts or not renew.
1:37:45
When we bring RFP, we do OACs and NORKs together.
1:37:48
So, because they are more or less similar programs.
1:37:51
So as we plan for that, we are looking at statistics of where older adults are needed, where, you know, we our goal is to obviously have as many programs to reach as many older adults as possible.
1:38:02
So we we are in the planning phases of seeing what what the needs are.
1:38:05
So we don't have that number right now, but we are looking into it.
Gale A. Brewer
1:38:08
Okay.
1:38:08
What's the timing on that for more north potentially?
UNKNOWN
1:38:11
That would be in the next RFP, but I don't think we have a we don't have a timeline just yet.
Ryan Murray
1:38:16
I I think the answer I can give you is that our planning process and looking at the older adult survey and all the things we just did, this year, I think, will be a year for us to counsel us, everybody, to have real good conversations about what is needed in the for the future of older adult services, period.
Gale A. Brewer
1:38:34
Okay.
Ryan Murray
1:38:34
Which would include
Gale A. Brewer
1:38:35
I would just the other ones and do the NARCs.
Ryan Murray
1:38:38
Heard.
1:38:39
Okay.
Gale A. Brewer
1:38:40
The other it may work, so why try something else?
1:38:43
They they work.