Citizen and Community Leadership
Successful and healthy aging involves situating yourself in the right communities, with the type of housing and types of supports! As your community explores the types of housing and supportive services you want and need, establishing collaborative partnerships will expand your available resources.
Gaps in the Housing Options for Successful Aging in Place
Many older adults are noticing big gaps in the types of housing options within their communities. Many people want to stay in the dwelling they have lived in for several years, which often requires adaptation for aging in place. Or, some older adults want to downsize or change to a rental model, and remain in the town, city, or neighbourhood they love.
Given the general housing shortages, it is not surprising to learn how difficult it is for people of all ages to find the right housing in their area. More and more community groups are forming to generate smaller scale, accessible, sustainable, and socially-designed housing models that enable older adults to remain in this dwelling, should they choose. With the right housing, one can add the right supports, over time.
Emerging Models of Network-Based or Clustered Supports for Healthy Aging in Place
An emerging model of co-organizing services in a building or location is called the “Naturally Occurring Retirement Community” (NORC). This happens when approximately 35% of the residents in a building or geographic area are over the age of 65. In this situation, the older residents can collaboratively lead the planning to organize various social activities, support services or other desired activities. If you are interested in getting started with this type of model in your building, check out the resources for NORC Ambassadors: Home | NORC (norcambassadors.ca)
Collaborative Aging helped shape the latest Policy Report on NORC Model in Canada: Check it out at: It’s Time to Unleash the Power of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities in Canada — National Institute on Ageing (niageing.ca)
The OASIS Project: In Canada, one of the first groups to create a NORC-based model was group of seniors living in Kingston Ontario, within a commercial rental building that they loved. The older adults wanted to stay safe there, so they created their own social support network (called “OASIS”). They collaborated with their private landlord to adapt a common space within the building. They also set up partnerships with different providers (e.g. a caterer, or a shopping helper, or a social agency) to bring in the types of services they needed. For more info on the growing number of OASIS sites in Canada, visit OASIS Model
Compassionate Communities. In Canada, another example of a community-led model offering holistic supports for people with life-limiting illnesses, or towards the end of their lives is Compassionate Communities – Pallium Canada