Fairfax County Department of Family
Services
12011 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035
For more information, contact: Belinda Buescher
703-324-7758, TTY 703-222-9452
A Profession of Growing Importance in Fairfax County
For Immediate Release - June 3, 2004
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will proclaim the week of June 10 - June 17 as "Direct Care Workers Week," to recognize the importance of those who provide direct care on a long-term basis to our community's seniors and adults with disabilities.
"The direct care workforce is a critical component in meeting the increasing long-term care needs in Fairfax County over the next 10 to 20 years," says Eileen Dohmann, Chair of the Fairfax Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC), a voluntary group appointed by the county's Board of Supervisors to carry out Fairfax County's long-term care strategic plan.
"The challenge is to recruit, train, and retain these critical workers," Dohmann states.
The proclamation will be considered at the Board of Supervisors' meeting Monday, June 7. Members of the LTCCC and direct care workers throughout the county are expected to attend.
The term "direct care worker" includes a wide range of occupations including nursing assistants and aides, personal care and home health aides, residential counselors and program assistants, companions, sitters, certified medication technicians, homemakers and many others who provide daily, hands-on care to seniors and adults with disabilities in various settings. They may work in nursing homes, home health agencies, group homes, adult day care centers, assisted living facilities, and in individuals' own homes.
"Direct caregivers have a tremendous influence on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of those in their care," says Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. "We need to be proactive in this county and make sure we do what is necessary to train and support a workforce that can meet the needs of a growing number of our residents."
Fairfax seniors 60 and older represent approximately 11.6 percent of
the county's one million residents. Frail elders age 85 and older are
the fastest growing demographic segment of the county. In addition,
almost 10 percent of the entire population of disabled individuals in
Virginia lives in the Fairfax area.