Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Community Health
• Public Health and Aging
• Social Sciences and Community Development

Background:

• Canada's aging population necessitates community-based solutions for older adult support.
• Naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) and their supportive service programs (NORC-SSPs) are potential resources for aging in place.
• A comprehensive synthesis of existing NORC literature has not yet been conducted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of the NORC literature.
• To summarize the current state of knowledge on NORCs and NORC-SSPs.
• To inform future research and provide insights into supporting aging in place.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was performed using a published framework, searching 13 databases up to January 2022.
• Included English peer- and non-peer-reviewed publications describing, critiquing, or researching NORCs.
• Qualitative content analysis guided by a conceptual framework was used to assess the potential of NORC programs for aging in place.

Main Results:

• Of 787 publications, 64 (8.1%) were included, all from North America.
• 52% provided a definition of NORCs, with inconsistencies noted; 61% described NORC-SSPs, often involving external partnerships and internal resources.
• Key NORC-SSP components included social relationship activities and access to services; sustainability was a noted challenge, and initial outcomes showed increased self-efficacy and access to supports, but long-term data was lacking.

Conclusions:

• NORC-SSPs represent a promising alternative model for supporting aging in place.
• Longitudinal research is recommended to explore the impacts of NORCs and NORC-SSPs on older adult health and well-being.
• Future research should focus on enhancing the sustainability of NORC-SSPs.