Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, or NORCs, are emblematic of “aging in place.”
NORCs arise naturally. They are also a natural fit for home care and other service organizations to support individuals, helping entire communities of people to thrive.
New Hyde Park-based Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation is doing just that. Under a grant and partnership work, Parker is serving several NORCs in Floral Park, New Hyde Park and Bellerose with cost-effective in-home nurse and social work visits that help individuals remain in the community setting, avoid hospitalizations or other higher levels of care, and get the services they need to stay healthy and safe.
Parker nurses visit the NORCs to help monitor seniors’ chronic conditions, conduct medication management and health screenings, administer immunizations, and provide other vital public health and preventive health support. Social workers and other clinicians, meanwhile, address “social determinants of health” in the NORCs: diet consultations, home safety assessments, caregiver education and support, health care system advocacy, and more.
This work draws on Parker’s longstanding expertise in a range of services across the continuum, from short-term rehabilitation to home care, social adult day care, medical house calls, palliative care and hospice.