Spotlight on Innovations and Achievements: Fairfax Area Agency on Aging
Monday, November 1, 2021
Section: November Associate Newsletter




We're proud to highlight the award-winning work of the 2021 winners of USAging's Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards in this monthly spotlight feature. Read about this AAA’s idea to use infrastructure already in place to keep family caregivers informed.

This month, we are focusing on Fairfax Area Agency on Aging’s Fairfax Caregiver Alert Notifications program. The agency was a 2021 Aging Innovations Award winner in the Caregiving category. The 2021 AIA Awards were made possible thanks to the support of iN2L.

Caregiver Alert Notifications enable family caregivers to remain informed, obtain education and easily access programs and services offered by the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging and other county departments via text messages, emails and/or voice communication. Caregivers subscribe to the AAA/Caregivers option through Fairfax Office of Emergency Management’s Fairfax Alerts System and receive weekly notifications with information about workshops, webinars, support groups and other supportive services.

The program contributes to family caregivers’ quality of life and well-being by promoting meaningful community engagement, connection and awareness of caregiver resources. During 2019–2020, the program sent out 86 text and email notifications to 504 caregivers on different supportive services.

As caregivers have signed up for alerts, there has been a 73 percent increase in attendance at caregiver webinars, a 621 percent increase in views of archived recordings of caregiver webinars and panel conversations, and a 45 percent increase in caregivers accessing the caregiver telephone support call center, as well as increased incoming calls and referrals to the Aging Disability and Resource line. Currently, the Caregiver Alert Notifications program serves 734 family caregivers.

For other great program ideas, check out the new 2021 AIA-winning programs: see the press release and read this year's book of winners!