Neighbors Taking Care of Neighbors: the NORC Aging in Place Model

In this episode you will meet Anne Foerg, who is a New York City based Geriatric Social Worker and a Program Manager at the NORC at Penn South, which is a naturally occurring retirement community in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. 

She has been working with older and old people for twenty years, and has worn many different hats when in those roles. Currently, she works with a team of ten, other social workers, nurses and other professionals to provide socialization opportunities to approximately 1000 residents over the age of 60. They also provide critical long term care supports to approximately ten percent of those residents. 

During the interview we look into her journey to Geriatric social work, what keeps working with this population, and what they have taught her about her profession- and life. 

More specifically, Anne explains what the NORC model is about, how it works to allow older people, many in retirement,  to remain in their long-standing communities, and to most importantly, live out the rest of their days, receiving long term care in the homes.

Lastly, there is no shying away from the difficulties in caring for older people and, usually, they come down to money and specifically the funding that is needed to support the most vulnerable members of our aging populations. 

This interview is an education on the costs associated with aging and how our societies can learn from the NORC model and allow older people to age with dignity and as much self-determination and support as possible. 

To learn more about the podcast, please visit https://www.agingwiselypodcast.com