Article by DFS Adult and Aging Division
(Posted 2024 March)
Every day, social workers in Fairfax County help improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community. In the Adult and Aging Division of the Department of Family Services, social services specialists ensure that older adults and adults with disabilities are protected from abuse, exploitation, and neglect. They also work to assess the needs of older adults, work in partnership with adults and families to create care plans, and support adults and families to carry out those plans. Through compassion, collaboration and problem solving, these dedicated workers help to achieve favorable outcomes for the people they serve. Here are a few stories of their life-changing work.
Joan*
67-year-old Joan needed help securing housing after she was evicted from her apartment due to hoarding, bed bug infestation, and non-payment of rent. She began living in her car because she didn’t want to lose her worldly possessions. She was in failing health and was frequently hospitalized because her health condition was poorly managed. The Adult Protective Services (APS) Worker assigned to Joan treated her with dignity and respect throughout their working relationship and connected her to community and County resources, including housing supports and advocating for Joan’s access to a nutritional program to address food insecurity. Joan was referred to bedbug cleaning services to treat the possessions in her car, which allowed her to successfully enter an assisted living facility. The APS Worker was a pivotal partner in addressing Joan’s care needs, resulting in Joan having a stable housing option, which allowed her to maintain her independence while receiving needed support.
Isaac*
Isaac, a 61-year-old male Home-Based Care client with multiple medical diagnoses, was evicted from his home and left homeless after an unfounded protective order was filed against him by his former partner. After spending what little funds he had on a hotel room for several nights, his Adult Services worker partnered with agency colleagues, community-based non-profit organizations FACETS and New Hope Housing, and Isaac’s medical care providers to ensure his basic needs – shelter, food and medical care – were met. Through collaboration with New Hope Housing and Adult Protective Services, Isaac was initially stabilized in temporary housing where he received additional support as he worked on a sustainable housing and care solution. Through the advocacy of community partners, DFS resources and his Adult Services worker’s well-developed trusting relationship with him, Isaac achieved long-term housing in a local assisted living community where he is thriving.
John*
65-year-old John was a long-term Home Delivered Meals (HDM) client who needed assistance with maintaining stable housing. He received home delivered meals because he was homebound and lived alone in a subsidized senior apartment, struggling with multiple complex medical issues, including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and arthritis. Along with his medical concerns, John faced an eviction notice and legal issues for property damage due to a small accidental fire in his apartment.
John’s HDM social worker, in collaboration with colleagues from Aging Disability & Caregiver Resources (ADCR), Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV), worked to provide extensive coordinated services to stabilize his situation and to assist him in winning his court case against the eviction. John was grateful for the support he received during an incredibly stressful time, successfully stopping the eviction, reinstating his rental subsidy, and stabilizing his housing.
*Names have been changed to ensure client privacy.
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).