The Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) Initiative in Georgia: Developing and Managing Collaborative Partnerships to Support Older Adults

Integrating Assessment and Evaluation Into Partnership Initiatives

“…Partnership research is still a nascent field of study with a limited evidence base in the form of rigorous and robust systematic inquiry (Zakocs & Edwards, 2006; Zakocs & Guckenburg, 2007), particularly in the field of aging (Ivery & Akstein-Kahan, 2010; Warburton, Everingham, Cuthill, & Bartlett, 2008). Traditional research methods will not suffice in building our knowledge base given the complex contextual factors involved and the individuality of each local community.…”

“…Finally, partnership evaluation may contribute to the currently inconclusive evidence of the cost-effectiveness of delivering home and community-based services for older adults and people with disabilities (Ivery & Akstein-Kahan, 2010; Warburton, Everingham, Cuthill, & Bartlett, 2008). With health care costs increasing uncontrollably, long-term supportive services for people at home and in community settings rather than in institutional settings may be more cost-effective, but the specific predictors of savings are not yet clear (Grabowski, 2006; Kaye, LaPlante, & Harrington, 2009).…”

“…In the last two decades, an increasing number of collaborative initiatives in the form of coalitions, partnerships, and alliances have been introduced to address a variety of community health and social conditions. These initiatives have led to a growing body of literature that describes the role of collaborative initiatives within communities (Bayne-Smith, Mizrahi, & Garcia, 2008; Ivery & Akstein-Kahan, 2010; Kegler & Swan, 2011; Krueter et al, 2000; Lasker, Weiss, & Miller, 2001; Wildridge et al, 2004; Zakocs & Edwards, 2006). Despite the abundance of publications on the development and implementation of partnership initiatives to address a variety of health and social issues, there is consensus that more rigorous empirical studies of collaboration are needed to identify best practices.…”

Community Aging Initiatives and Social Capital

“…Most previous studies on NORC programs have focused on describing the types of services that they provide, as well as staff and residents’ perceptions of program outcomes (e.g., Bronstein et al, 2011; Cohen-Mansfield, Dakheel-Ali, & Frank, 2010; Ivery & Akstein-Kahan, 2010; MacLaren, Landsberg, & Schwartz, 2007). There has been relatively less research on the potential processes through which NORC programs aim to change relationships within communities, as well as how these processes relate to aging in place.…”

“…Several case studies, however, provide preliminary insights regarding some of the social–relational aspects of communities that NORC programs aim to change. Ivery and Akstein-Kahan (2010) examined the development of NORC programs in the Atlanta (Georgia) metropolitan area and described various ways in which lead agencies partnered with other service providers to strengthen services for community-residing older adults. For example, the lead agencies developed advisory councils through which partnering organizations helped develop and implement core activities.…”