Virgil Petty had no idea he was about to become part of a trend when he moved to a suburban neighborhood in St. Louis several years ago. Petty now views the move as one of the best things that ever happened to him. When he lost his wife last year after 66 years of marriage, “I was ready to go with her,” Petty remembers. The now-91-year-old World War II veteran had never heard of a NORC (naturally occurring retirement community) before, but the local St. Louis NORC came to his rescue.

Before long, meals were being delivered to his home, and volunteers began showing up to help him with his extensive organic garden, which he maintains on a power company easement behind his house. He was encouraged to attend NORC-sponsored musical events and field trips, and soon Petty was getting out and about more than he had during his marriage. “It's been a lifesaver for me,” he says, “because I wasn't in the habit of going out much at all.”

A natural fit

The St. Louis NORC is sponsored and operated by the local branch of the Jewish Federation, which began administering its first NORC in New York City in 1986. Since then, the concept steadily has spread and now can be found in more than 25 states. As its name indicates, a NORC is not a planned retirement community; it's one that has evolved in one of three ways:

• residents of a community moved in when they were younger and have aged in place;
• a large number of older residents moved into an area, a process called in-migration; or
• younger residents moved out of a community while older residents stayed (out-migration).

“The primary goal of a NORC is to help people age gracefully in their homes, so they can get the benefit of support services that, historically, were available only in a retirement community or another institutionalized setting,” explains Philip Moeller, a research fellow at the Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. “The common element is a group of like-minded older residents who want to come together to help each other by pooling their efforts to get services that are of common benefit to everybody: home maintenance, transportation, and discounts on products and services that seniors use a lot.”

A growing need

Finding new ways to serve an aging population is becoming increasingly important as more and more people join that demographic. Around 40 million Americans are now age 65 and older, accounting for nearly 13 percent of the country's population. Thirty years from now, that number is forecast to be three times as high. Programs such as Meals On Wheels are vital in helping cash-strapped or homebound seniors stay healthy and well-fed, but they don't address the social challenges older people often face. As Petty found, however, that's where NORCs excel.

Moeller notes NORCs can help fill the role historically provided by an extended family, when several generations lived under one roof and caregiving was a family affair. Today, families often are widely separated, and although technology helps fill the communication gap, many seniors often need help with some aspects of their daily lives. Of course, that kind of aid is available in nursing homes and other long-term facilities, but studies have shown around 90 percent of older people strongly prefer to remain in their own homes.

Another benefit of a NORC is financial. Social Worker Karen Berry Elbert, manager of the St. Louis NORC, says a semi-private nursing home room can cost upward of $50,000 a year, while her organization charges residents $395 a year. For that price, residents enjoy a cornucopia of exercise, recreational, and social programs that keep them healthy and engaged, both physically and mentally, while still remaining in the safety and familiarity of their homes. The cost is kept low through partnerships with local churches, universities, charities, and state and national programs such as AARP.

Many varieties, one objective

Although all NORCs share the same goal - allowing older people to successfully age in place - there is no universal template. “One of the best descriptions I ever heard was from someone who ran one of these programs, who said, 'When you've seen one NORC, you've seen one NORC,' ” says Moeller. “Some are associated with religious or civic organizations, some are inexpensive, while others operate in a more for-profit way, with fees of up to $700 a year. Some have thousands of members; others have just 30 or 40.”

No matter how they're structured, NORCs steadily are making inroads into the lives of seniors across the country, bringing communities together in ways that mirror their residents' desire for security, social interaction, and a fulfilling lifestyle. As Petty puts it, “The NORC is great; I'm tickled to death that I belong to it. They're a wonderful outfit, and I'm fortunate to have someplace like that to go.”

Use this NORC Blueprint to start a NORC where you live.