To the Editor:

I am pleased to report that my bill to create a pilot program to provide social, mental and health care services to communities with large senior populations recently passed the Assembly. I wanted to especially thank Linda Meisel and my friends at the Jewish Family and Children Services for drawing attention to the challenges of extending such services to seniors who wish to remain in their homes.

With the establishment of this pilot program, the State will be able to foster “Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities” or “NORCs.” Unlike housing built specifically for elderly residents, a NORC is a residential area with a high concentration of seniors who remain in their communities. This program would allow these residents to stay in their homes and have the type of services delivered to them that would otherwise come from assisted-living institutional settings. In essence, a NORC addresses the needs of elderly residents by proving a wide array of social, health care, mental health and other support services at a senior center, such as the Suzanne Patterson Center in the Borough or a community room in a senior high rise in Trenton.

The bill directs the Commissioner of Health to provide a grant to a lead agency to establish and coordinate a pilot NORC at a senior center in Mercer County, or at one or more moderate or low-income apartment buildings, in which at least 50 percent of the households are headed by a person who is 60 years of age or older. It is hoped that seniors who wish to remain in their homes will have essential services delivered nearby and save taxpayers health care dollars in the long haul. In this regard, it will help many seniors who are proactive and want to take a holistic, preventive approach to their health and well-being.

Although Princeton’s new 16th District legislators voted against the measure, nonetheless, the concept has been well received in the community and I appreciate the Jewish Family and Children Services for the groundwork they provided on this bill. It is hoped that through delivering elder-care services directly into the community, seniors who are often shut in will have greater access to preventive health screenings, a social network at the community centers, and hence a longer quality of life to come.

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora

District 15