Direct Care Workers

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, Cell: 571-722-9091
Belinda.Buescher@fairfaxcounty.gov

A Profession of Growing Importance in Fairfax County

For Immediate Release–May 27, 2005

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will proclaim the week of June 9 - June 16 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 proclamation will be considered at the Board of Supervisors' meeting Monday, June 6.

"We need to celebrate and recognize our direct care workers," 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. "Their devotion and efforts far exceed their compensation. Their work is crucial in meeting the growing needs of seniors and adults with disabilities in our community."

Members of the LTCCC and direct care workers throughout the county are expected to attend the June 6 Board of Supervisors' meeting when the proclamation is read.

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 provide vital services that support the health, safety and independence of many members of our community," says Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. "For family members who do all they can to care for their loved ones, direct care workers provide a lifeline of relief and support," he added.

The LTCCC promotes local partnerships to increase training and educational opportunities for direct care workers and advocates for wage increases, benefits, and career advancement opportunities.

"Working in partnership - with county government; the Workforce Investment Board; educational institutions; private, nonprofit and faith-based organizations -- we can make a real difference in recruitment, training and support for direct care workers," Dohmann states.

"It's also important in our community to recruit direct care workers who speak languages other than English," Dohmann adds. The LTCCC is currently involved in a partnership to increase the availability of Korean-speaking direct care workers.

The county's changing demographics indicate a growing need to recruit well trained workers who will be able to help care for a growing population of elderly individuals and those with disabilities. Persons age 65 and older are expected to increase by 80 percent between the years 2000 and 2020 - four times the growth rate projected for those under age 20. The county's oldest residents, persons age 85 and older, are expected to increase in number by 43 percent between the years 2000 and 2020. Persons with disabilities represent 12% of the Fairfax area population.

To find out more about long term care resources in Fairfax County, visit the county's Web site at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ltc

 

Fairfax County is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination
in all county programs, services and activities
and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request.
Please allow five working days in advance of events to make the necessary arrangements.