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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Bill Keller |
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Keller to introduce plan to establish 'retirement communities'
HARRISBURG, March 20 – State Rep. Bill Keller, D-Phila., wants to grant older Pennsylvanians the opportunity to live in their current place of residence for as long as possible, also known as "Age in Place."
Keller is drafting a bill that would establish and support NORCs, or naturally occurring retirement communities, so senior citizens do not need to leave their homes and live in an institutionalized setting.
"I can only imagine the discomfort that seniors must feel when they can no longer care for themselves and have to move into a hospital or care center," Keller said. "It is my hope that with this legislation we will be able to bring the care to them by establishing these naturally occurring retirement communities."
Under the legislation, a NORC would have to meet certain defining criteria and also have to be operational and able to provide the appropriate care to residents. The bill will develop guidelines to assure that people in the aging community will have access to the resources they need, such as care coordination, health assessment and monitoring, socialization activities, home repairs, technological assistance, transportation assistance and home health care.
The Age in Place legislation also will aim to help the residents of aging communities obtain the federal and state funding needed to live in their neighborhoods, prolong their independence, and improve their quality of life.
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