(Posted 2023 June)
In May 2023, the Board of Supervisors adopted the SHAPE the Future of Aging Plan 2023-2028. Over the next five years, this plan will guide Fairfax County, along with the City of Fairfax and the City of Falls Church, and community-based organizations in meeting the needs of older residents now and in future years. Like the United States as a whole, Fairfax County is aging. The percentage of residents aged 65 and older in Fairfax County is anticipated to increase from 13.4 percent in 2019 to 17.7 percent in 2035.
The SHAPE acronym stands for:
- Services for Older Adults and Family Caregivers
- Housing and Neighborhood Supports
- Access to Mobility Options
- Personal Well-Being
- Economic Stability and Planning
To inform the SHAPE the Future of Aging Plan, the County procured quantitative and qualitative studies including the nationally benchmarked Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (CASOA), which surveyed residents aged 50 and older in early 2019 and then again in early 2022. Nearly 3,000 residents completed the survey in 2022.
The survey questions for which Fairfax County ratings were considerably higher than benchmark communities were the following:
- Overall economic health of the community
- Opportunities to build work skills
- Opportunities to enroll in skill-building or personal enrichment classes.
The survey also identified areas where Fairfax County residents experience the most challenges:
- Housing
- Information access
- Physical health care.
The survey was supplemented by a qualitative study, conducted in late 2022, including four town halls, 11 community gatherings, 11 focus groups, and 14 key informant interviews. Approximately 300 residents participated in these Inclusive Engagement events. The information gathered provided insights on older residents’ needs for each category of SHAPE. Three significant themes emerged:
- Fairfax County’s older adults generally enjoy living in their communities but have diminished hopes of aging in place because of the high cost of living in the County.
- Fairfax County has an impressive array of available aging services, but there is low awareness among its older residents about many of these services.
- Asian respondents were less satisfied and Asian and Hispanic respondents had more needs than overall respondents in many areas.
The SHAPE the Future of Aging Plan also provides several recommendations with potential strategies to address older residents’ needs that were identified. A few examples include:
- Increase affordability of aging in place by considering ways to further expand senior tax relief, providing information and resources such as contract templates to encourage home sharing, and evaluating possible tax limitations for long-term residents, such as homesteading policies in other states.
- Increase older residents’ access to information about aging services by enhancing the County’s current means of disseminating information, continuing to make printed materials available in multiple languages, including an older adults’ handbook of resources, and supporting peer-to-peer networks to share information with diverse communities.
- Increase older residents’ perceptions of equity and acceptance by expanding the role and numbers of 50+ Community Ambassadors to connect older residents from diverse communities with resources. Provide training to staff from County agencies and community-based organizations to counter ageism and other forms of discrimination.
Over the next five years, Fairfax County leaders, Fairfax Area Commission on Aging members, and community-based organizations will work together to implement initiatives that continue to position Fairfax County to be a place where older adults can thrive.
Learn More About SHAPE
The SHAPE the Future of Aging Plan has several strategies to address the needs of older residents in the Fairfax area. The plan found here FairfaxCounty.gov/topics/shape-future-aging, approved by the Board of Supervisors, is an action plan. Community engagement is important and if you are interested in learning more, please email DFSCommissiononAging@FairfaxCounty.gov your specific topic area of interest and someone will get back to you promptly.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).