Since the inception of the NORCs national demonstration initiative, the NORC grantees have gathered annually at a peer conference.
Coordinated by The Jewish Federations of North America, the event promotes the exchange of best practices, collaborations, and information among the demonstration planners and coordinators.
Recurring programmatic themes of the Annual Meeting include national and local evaluation, dissemination, curriculum development, and sustainability.
Annual Meeting 2023
Baltimore, Maryland March 22 – 24, 2023
Annual Meeting 2023 Baltimore, Maryland March 22 – 24, 2023 The 2023 NORCs Annual Meeting focused on national trends in aging and how these trends can or will impact NORC Supportive Services Programs. It also looked out how these trends will shape the way in which foundations and related funders will support the field of community-based Aging Services into the future.
Additionally, participants heard from representatives of the Administration on Aging on the direction of public policies on Aging-in-Place and related community-based services for older adults, since the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act in 2006.
Throughout the 3-day conference participants spent considerable time sharing experiences, best practices, and tools regarding several common elements and themes of the NORC Supportive Services Program paradigm.
The following are presentations and supportive materials generated from the 2023 NORCs Annual Meeting:
Framing the Program
UJC 2023 NORCs Annual Meeting, presented by David Schimmel
Drug Testing in NORC-SSP communities by Dr. John Peterson
Recognizing Substance Abuse Among Older Adults
Development of Guidelines and Protocols for Drug Testing in NORC-SSP Communities
Development of Drug Testing Protocols for the Older Adult Population in NORC-SSP
Implementation of Drug Testing in NORC-SSP Health Care Management and Prevention Programs
Development of Guidelines and Protocols for Drug Testing: The Results
National Trends in Aging: Impacts and implications for NORC-SSPs
National Trends in Aging: Impacts and implications for NORC-SSPs, presented by Barbara Bedney
United States Aging Demographics and Trends: A Statistical Overview, presented by Barbara Bedney
The Impact of Aging Trends on Foundations
The Impact of Aging Trends on Foundations, presented by Michael Marcus
Program Implementation with a Focus on Collaboration Presented by:
Karen Alexander: Director, Eldercare ServicesUnited Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ
Lori Friedman: NORC Project ManagerJewish Family Service of Central New Jersey
Deborah Akstein Kahan: Project Director/PlannerJewish Federation of Greater Atlanta
Programs Serving Diverse Populations
Presented by: Sheva Cohen: Manager, Human Services Center for Social Responsibility
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Annette Sandler: NORC Project CoordinatorJewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis
Volunteer Programs
Volunteer Programs, presentend by
Alison Joucovsky: Colorado Senior Connections Coordinator,
Jewish Family Service of Colorado
Program Sustainability: Current trends in grant making and cultivating funders Presented by:
Hannah Pollack Feiler, Director of Research and Grants & Lauren Klein, Assistant Director, The Center for Funds and Foundations
THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore
Community-Based Services at AoA post-2006 Older Americans Act Amendments Presented by:
Deborah Burns Kuhn: Aging Services Program Specialist
Legislative Agenda on Long-Term Care in the 111th Congress Presented by:
Jonathan Westin, Assistant Director Legislative Affairs
State Funding Efforts Presented by:
Sheva Cohen: Manager, Human Services Center for Social Responsibility
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Deborah Akstein Kahan: Project Director/Planner
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta
National Evaluation Initiative
Barbara Bedney: Acting Director of Domestic Affairs
Local Evaluation
Mary Pivawer: Director, Senior Friendly Neighborhoods
THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore
Annual Meeting 2021:
Chicago, IL October 16-18, 2021
Highlights:
- Presentation on innovative aging in place model, presented by the Beacon Hill Initiative
- Evidence-based evaluation example presented by the Chicago Council for Jewish elderly (CJE). The presentation was led by Micky and Andi
- Panel discussion, led by the Baltimore and Philadelphia NORCs, on long-term sustainability options
- Presentations on the next phase of the National NORCs evaluation, presented by Barbara Bedney, Senior Planner, United Jewish Communities
- Public Policy Outlook: Robert Goldberg, Director of Legislative Operations, United Jewish Communities, with a focus on Older Americans Act reauthorization
Annual Meeting 2019:
Las Vegas, NV September 25-28, 2019
Highlights:
- New Grantees day-long workshop, co-developed and led by David Schimmel, NORCs Demonstration Coordinator, United Jewish Communities, and Perry Orhen, Director, Supportive Communities, Detroit, Michigan
- Project overviews presented by all communities
- Presentation on aging trends in the United States and how these trends impact NORCs, presented by Laura Trejo, MSG, MPH, General Manager, City of Los Angeles, Department of Aging
- Panel discussion on innovative approaches to project sustainability at the local level
- Panel discussion on innovative approaches for sustaining and growing NORC supportive service programs utilizing state funding efforts
- Presentation on an innovative NORC project, presented by Michael Hunt, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Presentation on next phase of the National NORCs Evaluation, presented by Barbara Bedney, Senior Planner, United Jewish Communities
- Presentation on AARP’s Livable Communities Initiative and its intersection with the National NORCs initiative, presented by Michael O’Neal, AARP-Livable Communities, Housing Options
- Panel discussion on long-terms and short term dissemination planning
- Presentation on the National NORCs Initiative web site, presented by David Schimmel
- Overall Annual Meeting program development and planning, David Schimmel
- Public Policy Outlook, Robert B. Goldberg, Director of Legislative Operations, United Jewish Communities
Annual Meeting 2016:
Washington, D.C., October 25-26, 2016
Highlights:
- Project overviews presented by all communities
- Presentation on the initial findings and conclusions of the national evaluation, presented by Barbara Bedney, Senior Planner, UJC
- Presentation on linking data collection to local evaluation and logic models, presented by Frank Burns, Director, Office of Evaluation, Administration on Aging
- Panel discussion of Logic Models as planning and evaluation tools
- Panel discussion on innovative approaches to project sustainability
- Presentation on the establishment of the national NORCs web site, presented by Gisele Toueg, Senior Content Manager, UJC
- Presentation on horizontal NORCs, presented by Karen Schwab, Director, Comprehensive Senior Center, Samuel Field YM & YWHA, Little Neck, New York
- Overall Annual Meeting program development and planning, David Schimmel, NORCs Demonstration Coordinator, UJC
- Public Policy Outlook, Rob Goldberg, Director, Legislative Operations, UJC
Annual Meeting 2013 :
Washington, D.C., November 3-4, 2013
Highlights:
- Project overviews presented by all communities
- Panel discussion on the development of guideposts, standards, and basic thresholds for NORC Supportive Service models
- Presentation on the importance of community-based programming, presented by Deborah Burns, Policy Analyst, Administration on Aging
- Panel discussion on managing partnerships, collaborations, and relationships, important and challenging components of the NORC Supportive Service model
- Panel discussion on sustainability options for NORC projects
- Presentation on the initial findings and conclusions of a case study of the 2002 NORC grantees, presented by Jane Tilly, Senior Research Associate, Urban Institute, Washington, D.C.
- Presentation on evaluation methods, tools, and planning, presented by Jenny Brodsky, Director, Research Program on Aging, JDC-Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Human Development, Jerusalem, Israel
- Overall Annual Meeting program development and planning, Rob Goldberg, Assistant Legislative Director, UJC and Barbara Bedney, Senior Planner, UJC
Annual Meeting 2010:
Kansas City, Missouri, October 1-2, 2010
Highlights:
- Project overviews presented by all communities
- Presentation on NORC-related research, presented by Michael Hunt, Professor and Chair of Environmental and Textile Design Division, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Presentation on grant mechanics, presented by Kari Benson, Policy Analyst, and Maria Garner-Thomas, Grants Specialist, Administration on Aging
- Presentation on New York NORC programs, Anita Altman, Deputy Managing Director, Department of Government and External Affairs, UJA-Federation of New York
- Meeting on Program Planning & Development, led by Rob Goldberg, Assistant Legislative Director, UJC