Participation in community activities through Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) Supportive Service Programs
Abstract
**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Supportive Service Programs (NORC
Programs) constitute a national model in the United States of America that aims
to benefit older adults ageing in place in their own homes and communities. One
central aspect of NORC Programs is the provision of community activities to facilitate
older adults’ connections with others. Guided by ecological systems theory, we
explored from older adults’ perspectives what influences their participation in the
community activities offered by NORC Programs, as well as the meaning of the
social contact that such participation affords. We used data from an in-depth interview
study with older residents across seven NORC Program sites in the greater
New York City area. Themes regarding influences on participation included individual
circumstances (personal desire for social activity and health status), programmatic
factors (relationships with staff and appeal of the activities) and community
contexts (appeal of the other attendees). Perceptions of other attendees also
emerged as an influence on the social effects of participation, which ranged from
experiencing social contact alone to creating independent friendships. Overall,
findings indicate that programme features combine with individual and community
contexts to influence diverse experiences of community activities. In addition to
implications for organisational practice, we interpret the results in terms of directions
for future research regarding how community-based organisations can
influence social integration in later life.