Mia Oberlink, M.A., Project Director
Michal Gursen, M.P.H., M.S., Research Analyst
Percival Blenman, Database Programmer
Rocco Napoli, B.A., Database Administrator
Richard Nicandro, Programmer

Background: NORC-SSPs have existed for 20 years and to date there has not been documented evidence for the programs' effectiveness in supporting the health and well-being of seniors who live in the NORCs. This project is designed to provide evidence of the programs' long-term impact on New York City NORCs and give SSPs a powerful tool for project management, fundraising and staff development.

Purpose: The Indicators Initiative is an important step as NORC-SSPs move towards a more systematic approach to evidence based practice. The NORC-SSP Health Care Indicators Project's goal is to create a source of information that will help improve the health of NORC residents and the community. The information gathered will help th programs understand the health needs of elderly residents; design and target programs to help meet these needs; and measure how well these targeted health programs are working for the NORC clients.

Study Design: The study involves administration of a survey questionnaire to people aged 60 and older being served by 10-12 NORC-SSPs in the New York City area. The survey questionnaire, developed for the project, comprises questions related to health care experiences, heatlh conditions, health insurance, leisure time activities, and basic demographic characteristics. Staff at each NORC site are responsible for collecting the information via in-person interviews and entering the data into a web-based database. The Center for Home Care Policy and Research will assist UHF in preparing training materials and will be responsible for constructing and monitoring the database as well as conducting data analysis as requested by UHF.

Website Link: http://www.uhfnorcindicators.org

Sponsor: United Hospital Fund (UHF)