Frequently Asked Questions

A Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) is a term used to describe a residential area, building or neighbourhood that has naturally evolved into a community where a significant portion of the residents are older adults or seniors. 

There are two types of Oasis Models: Oasis Buildings and Oasis Neighbourhoods.

 
Oasis Buildings are a model based on a single apartment/condo building or a close grouping of apartments/condo buildings. The model includes building a relationship with the building owner and manager, leveraging common space and co-designing an Oasis program within the building. The Oasis Buildings model is an example of a vertical NORC. 

Oasis Neighbourhoods are a series of buildings based in a community or neighbourhood. Here partnerships are made to identify and use a communal space to support the Oasis programming within the community. The Oasis Neighbourhoods model is an example of a horizontal NORC. 

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To find out if there is an Oasis in your community, please check the list of our expansion sites here.

If you would like to also be a participant in the Oasis study, please contact our research team at oasis.study@queensu.ca 

If you are interested in starting a new Oasis site, please contact our Oasis Expansion team at oasis.expansion@queensu.ca. 

Volunteers play a vital role in facilitating activities, leading classes, and providing support to fellow members in the Oasis program. If you would like to volunteer for a local Oasis site, please contact the Onsite Coordinator, or email oasis.admin@queensu.ca 

If you would like to do a placement at a local Oasis site, please contact the Onsite Coordinator for more information, or email oasis.admin@queensu.ca

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