Local Environment of Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) in a Mid-Sized U.S. City

As the U.S. population ages, almost half of elderly householders have lived in their current home for more than 20 years, and a significant majority wish to remain in their current residence or community for as long as possible as they age. Concern with how communities will cope with these trends has led to a growing interest in naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs), which are neighborhoods or housing complexes that house a concentration of older adults, and their potential to enhance efforts to support aging-in-place. In this article, we examine the local built and social environment of neighborhood NORCs in Tallahassee, Florida, a low-density mid-sized city. We found that a large proportion of NORCs are located in neighborhoods with an urban form, or physical design, that is presumed to be less supportive of active aging, and associated with poor access to amenities, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and parks. Another substantial portion of NORCs are located in neighborhoods with some aspects of a supportive urban form. We also found that NORCs are over-represented in neighborhoods featuring low residential turnover and above average homeownership rates. This suggests a potential for collective action to facilitate aging-in-place, even in neighborhoods thought not to have supportive physical environments.     

Developing technological initiatives for youth participation and local community engagement

Recent advances in technology are transforming our lives, but in many cases they are also limiting the way children are exposed to local communities and physical spaces. Technology can help young people actively connect with their neighborhoods, but doing that requires different methods and tools from the ones typically available in schools, homes, and youth centers. This article introduces a theoretical framework describing the technical and nontechnical elements that must be considered in the implementation of technology initiatives for youth participation and local community engagement. The article then describes the application of the framework in two multiyear initiatives.     

Innovative models of aging in place: Transforming our communities for an aging population

As the proportion of the global population over 60 continues to grow, the issue of where and how elders are going to live becomes increasingly pressing. The idea or “aging in place” – in which elders remain in their own homes and communities – is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to age-segregated retirement communities. This article documents three new models of aging in place – naturally occurring retirement communities (NORC-SSPs), villages and campus-affiliated communities – and explores how they seek to provide both services and meaningful connections among members. Data from interviews and site visits reveal both promising practices as well as challenges such as how to ensure access for low and moderate-income elders, integrating elders from diverse cultural and linguistic back grounds, and building the leadership and participation of elders. By looking critically at these models, the author argues that many previously held theories and assumptions about the aging process and social capital formation must be reexamined in light of the agency of elders and the new organizational models. Ultimately the design of our communities – both physically and socially – and our approach to retirement must be restructured to support the needs of an aging population.     

But Not in My Neighborhood:

Reactions of community residents to proposed or built Section 202/8 apartment complexes in two communities in and near Tampa, Florida were studied through observation of two public hearings and data gathered through questionnaires mailed to a probability sample of householders in the communities. Findings indicated that the respondents were about evenyl divided between positive and negative reactions to the housing facilities. A discriminant analysis revealed that those who reacted negatively tended to be more satisfied with their own homes, to have lived longer in their homes, and to be less satisfied with their neighborhoods. Recommendations for avoiding community resistance to housing for the elderly were presented.     

Yanks vs. Brits

Field visits to a random sample of 103 retirement homes in Oxfordshire, England, and Washington State reveal 49 statistically significant differences. Findings include: in England, more homes have a resident manager; generally, more of the resi- dents are local people; they are older and more feeble but walk more; facilities and services are more modest and cost less; tenants are not as involved in common activities; however, they have more free- dom. In America, the building usually is newer; it is more secure from outsiders; it costs more to live there; transportation is better; there are more opportunities for social interaction among residents; they have more voluntary associations and power; tenants haven't been in the home as long; and fewer married couples live in it.     

What's up? What young teens and parents want from youth programs

Young teens and their parents clearly state that the "if you build it, they will come" approach, even if it is well built, is only part of the solution for engaging young people in learning opportunities. Interviews with youth and parents explore what they are doing and what they say they want in their nonschool hours. Opportunities that are flexible, less structured, and more leisure-based emerge as priorities. Although relatively content with the options currently available to them, when pressed, youth and families want more connections between people and age groups as well as more of the free-spirited, organic activities likely to emerge in neighborhoods and communities.     

Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities

Naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) are defined as housing developments that are not planned or designed for older people, but which over time come to house largely older people. NORCs are of interest because they differ from the stereotypical retirement community (RC) and yet are probably the most common form of RC in the U.S. An analysis of NORCs is presented by examining their evolution and comparing them to planned RCs and community-based housing. A supportive neighborhood emerges as the common denominator in each living arrangement.     

SOCIAL CLASS AND TACTICS:

This analysis of community opposition to group homes for the mentally handicapped uses data from a survey of New Jersey group home providers. It indicates that deteriorating neighborhoods are most likely to organize in opposition, but that upper-middle class neighborhoods are most likely to enjoy private access to local officials and can, therefore, lobby effectively in opposition to group homes in their neighborhoods. Generally, lower and lower-middle class neighborhoods do not have lobbying privileges and must rely on mass-mobilization, petition campaigns, and other public political tactics that are less effective in influencing local officials. If, however, they gain access to local officials and secure lobbying privileges, they are no less successful than their upper-middle class counterparts in influencing them.     

Homevisiting

A homevisiting research project can both facilitate data gathering in poor and minority communities and provide an innovative learning opportunity for direct practice students. Based on the experiences of the authors, who as teacher and MSW student visited homes in three low-income communities in New York to interview single African-American mothers and assess their children's preschool readiness, this article provides a structure for teaching and learning skills in data gathering and intervening with families in poor urban neighborhoods. It notes the benefits and obstacles of homevisiting and offers thoughts on integrating policy, research, and direct practice.     

The Potential of A College Town As A Retirement Community

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential of college towns as retirement communities. The uniqueness of college towns as potential retirement communities are identified and discussed. Differences between college towns and Sunbelt state retirement destinations regarding the factors that are most concerned by retiree migrants in their decision-making for relocation were compared. The results showed no differences between the college towns and the Sunbelt state retirement cities. Only a few differences existed among the college town subgroups. The findings are of value to the senior living industry, local government and chamber of commerce in their efforts in marketing college towns as prospective retirement communities.     

Attitudes Toward Aging and Retirement Homes Before and After Entry Into a Retirement Home

The change of one's habitual living conditions in favor of institutionalized living in a retirement home can be a stressful event. Therefore, the question arises: How does entry into a retirement home affect attitudes toward one's life and aging and toward retirement homes? In order to answer this question, we used longitudinal data from 53 older individuals who were surveyed before and after entry into a retirement home. The data revealed that attitudes toward one's life and aging changed negatively and attitudes toward retirement homes changed positively; however, there are gains and losses in both attitudes.     

国际援助：闪耀人性之光(英文)

地震给四川人民的生活带来了巨大的损失。来自五湖四海的志愿者和捐助者们奔赴灾区。帮助当地人民重建家园。     

The Value of Seeking Financial Advice

Retirement planning data gathered from an online survey at a large university in October 2009 are used to examine differences in a variety of retirement planning measures between people who have and have not met with a financial advisor. Problems of self-selection and endogeneity are addressed through the use of propensity scores. The study’s major finding is that working with an advisor is related to several important financial planning activities, including goal setting, calculation of retirement needs, retirement account diversification, use of supplemental retirement accounts, accumulation of emergency funds, positive behavioral responses to the recent economic crisis, and retirement confidence. Use of a financial advisor was not related to self-reported retirement savings or short-term growth in retirement account asset values.     

Migration of Retirement‐Age Blacks to Nonmetropolitan Areas in the 1990s

Older blacks migrated to nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) communities in the 1990s to a degree not true of the past. Some of the nonmetro counties that attracted them are well‐known retirement areas also favored by other retirees, mostly whites. Two‐thirds of black retirement counties, however, are areas in the Old South that are not attracting other retirees at a substantial rate, if at all. Although the data indicate significant rates of retirement‐age blacks migrating to 85 nonmetro counties, most migration by older blacks is to metro destinations.     

Neighborhoods in the Network Society the e-Neighbors study

This study examines whether the Internet is increasingly a part of everyday neighborhood interactions, and in what specific contexts Internet use affords the formation of local social ties. Studies of Internet and community have found that information and communication technologies provide new opportunities for social interaction, but that they may also increase privatism by isolating people in their homes. This paper argues that while the Internet may encourage communication across great distances, it may also facilitate interactions near the home. Unlike traditional community networking studies, which focus on bridging the digital divide, this study focuses on bridging the divide between the electronic and parochial realms. Detailed, longitudinal social network surveys were completed with the residents of four contrasting neighborhoods over a period of three years. Three of the four neighborhoods were provided with a neighborhood email discussion list and a neighborhood website. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to model over time the number of strong and weak ties, emailed, met in-person, and talked to on the telephone. The neighborhood email lists were also analyzed for content. The results suggest that with experience using the Internet, the size of local social networks and email communication with local networks increases. The addition of a neighborhood email list further increases the number of weak neighborhood ties, but does not increase communication multiplexity. However, neighborhood effects reduce the influence of everyday Internet use, as well as the experimental intervention, in communities that lack the context to support local tie formation.     

Retirement Village Resident Satisfaction in Australia: A Qualitative Enquiry

ABSTRACT

There has been limited research into the types of customer satisfaction experienced by residents in leisure-oriented retirement communities, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom. Focus groups were conducted at a series of retirement communities. Results have lead to the development of a typology of retirement community resident satisfaction containing five different domains, including the Built Environment, the Financial Environment, the Service Delivery Environment, the Social Environment, and the Spiritual Environment. Furthermore, these five satisfaction domains encompass up to 24 distinct types or facets of customer satisfaction experienced by residents. This proposed typology of leisure-oriented retirement communities’ resident satisfaction is the most comprehensive investigation of retirement village customer satisfaction to date. Implications for both researchers and practitioners are discussed, including recommendations for the measuring, managing, and marketing of customer satisfaction with retirement community living.     

Food Waste and Quality of Life in Elderly Populations Living in Retirement Living Communities

Food waste is an increasingly important issue in all food-service establishments, including retirement living communities. With residents of these communities having faced food insecurity as children and young adults, they have unique and very strong feelings regarding this issue. We interviewed 16 Canadian residents and used manifest content analysis to gain an understanding of how their experiences, behaviors, and feelings toward food waste may impact their quality of life. The results of this study may have implications for how retirement living communities approach their food-service operations.     

Residents' Power in Retirement Homes

Visits to a random sample of 103 retirement homes (RHs) in Washington State and Oxfordshire, England, show that strength of residents' association, tenants' representation on boards of directors, and other kinds of social power can be explained by other observed features of RHs, using Pearsonian correlation and multiple linear regression. Significantly and independently related are: the amount of programs of fine arts; the impressiveness of the buildings; not having many residents who are very feeble; an architecture which forces people to meet as they enter the doors; a staff who fully orients new tenants; residents putting their names and decorations on their doors; provision of material services; the kind of sponsor; and many others. These findings have practical implications.     

Lessons from the evolution of 401(k) retirement plans for increased consumerism in health care: an application of behavioral research

Employment-based health and retirement benefit programs have followed a similar path of evolution. The relative decision-making roles of the employer and the worker have shifted from the employer to the worker, and workers are more responsible than perhaps they ever have been for their well being--both in terms of their health in general and their financial security during retirement. This shift has been supported, in part, by legislation--namely ERISA, the HMO Act of 1973, the Revenue Act of 1978, and most recently, the Pension Protection Act. This Issue Brief does not pass judgment on this development or address who should bear the responsibilities of preparing workers for retirement or of rationing health care services. The current trend in health care design is toward increased "consumerism." Consumer-driven health is based on the assumption that the combination of greater cost sharing (by workers) and better information about the cost and quality of health care will engage workers to become better health care decision makers. It is hoped that workers will seek important, necessary, high-quality, cost-effective care and services, and become less likely to engage providers and services that are unnecessary and ineffective from either a quality or cost perspective. As employers look ahead toward continually improved plan design, there may be benefits in considering the lessons learned from studying worker behaviors. Specifically, there is evidence about the effects of choice, financial incentives, and information on worker decision making. As a result of research in this area, many retirement plan sponsors have moved toward plan designs and programs that recognize the benefits of well-designed defaults, simplified choices, required active decision making, framing, and commitment to future improvements. With respect to choice, it is now known that more is not always better and may even be worse in some cases. Just as fewer shoppers actually bought a jar of jelly when it was one of 24 as opposed to one of six, evidence has shown that people tend to be less likely to join a company-sponsored retirement plan when more investment options are offered. More choice can also lead to lower satisfaction. It is also known that workers may not be able to appropriately sort through many complex alternatives and that education is not always as effective as employers would hope. Decision complexity often forces people to find a way to simplify, and one of the easiest rules of thumb is to pick the option with the lowest short-term cost, even when that alternative is more costly in the longer run. It is also known that, for good or for bad, choices are constructed on the fly; preferences are dynamic, and logic does not always apply. Financial incentives are helpful in motivating behavior, but they do not affect everyone's decisions. Despite significant financial incentives to participate in 401(k) plans, many workers choose not to. Similarly, despite many of the financial incentives embedded in health care plan design, it can be expected that these incentives will not effectively motivate and engage all workers. One seemingly rational approach to improve workers' decision making is to provide education and guidance to help them sort through complex alternatives and to demonstrate the value of financial incentives. Certainly, providing education and guidance in the form of decision support tools may be an employer's responsibility. However, some studies have shown that, even when "educated" workers have the intent to make improved decisions, they often lack follow-through and fail to take action. In short, education and guidance may not be enough to foster improved health care consumerism. Some employers have begun to design benefit programs with a view toward overcoming behavioral tendencies that negatively affect workers' well-being. Newer retirement plan designs involve careful consideration of default choices. These defaults apply unless workers actively choose a different alternative. Typically, the default attempts to "nudge" workers toward optimal behavior. In the case of 401(k) retirement plan design, more employers are moving toward a default of automatic enrollment in the plan, with automatic investment in a diversified portfolio. Still, additional empirical research and experimentation may be needed to further understand the effects of new retirement plan design features. Future work may also precisely illuminate how the lessons discussed in this Issue Brief may apply to health care plan design that results in improved health-related behaviors. Given the impressive preliminary results in improving retirement planning behaviors, such research and experimentation are likely to be worthwhile.