Fairfax County Community Interventions to Promote Protective Factors for Older Adult Well-being

In 2021, Fairfax County’s Health and Human Service’s Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) agency invited the Center for Social Science Research (CSSR) to assist county efforts to develop an evidence-based framework to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors to support older adults’ well-being in Fairfax County. Older adults’ health and well-being is about much more than healthcare. It is social connections and engagement, housing, finances, transportation, and social services. Knowledge of which community-based strategies work and for whom can advance county efforts to create more equitable outcomes for Fairfax County older adults. Desired Outcomes:

• Promote physical and mental capacity for older adults
• Enable older adults experiencing capacity loss to continue to do the things they value
• Support older adults’ ability to meet basic needs; learn, grow, and make decisions; be mobile; build and maintain relationships; and to contribute
• Help older adults maintain their independence and safely remain in the community
• Help older adults maintain personal fulfillment (social connection, recreation, etc.) and resiliency

Phase I: January 2021-July 2021

Develop an evidence-based model to identify community programs and interventions that promote protective factors and reduce risk factors for older adult well-being.

Scoping Review: Systematic research synthesis and literature review involves a replicable set of search procedures to determine inclusion and exclusion criteria and checks for consistency.

• Provides a map of the literature on a specific research area.
• Identify key concepts and gaps in the research.
• Types of evidence that can inform practice and policymaking.

Research Question: What are the system level community-based interventions that promote protective and mitigate risk factors influencing older adult wellbeing?

CSSR Findings:

Protective Factors Phase I Slide Deck- July 2021

Phase II: October 2021-April 2022

Validate and assess applicability of the model developed based on evidence collected and synthesized from scoping review for the County.

During Phase II, CSSR team conducted focus groups with County stakeholders to assess model applicability to Fairfax County. Focus groups participants were recruited from: The Long Term Care Coordinating Council, the LTCCC Equity in Aging and Adults with Disabilities Committee, Fairfax Council on Aging and direct service providers supporting county-level aging initiatives and county’s aging populations.

CSSR Findings:

Protective Factors Phase II Slide Deck- April 2022