Fairfax AAA reports progress on 'Shape the Future of Aging' plan; virtual‑reality pilot wins national award

The Fairfax Area Agency on Aging (AAA) on Friday updated the Board of Supervisors' Older Adults Committee on the second year of implementing the "Shape the Future of Aging" (SHAPE) plan, reporting completed initiatives, new pilots and expanded outreach intended to increase inclusion, reduce isolation and support aging in place.

Beth Ann Margueta, assistant program manager with the Fairfax AAA, summarized progress across multiple initiative development committees aligned to the countywide strategic plan and 1 Fairfax. She said the SHAPE plan is intended to serve as an internal "North Star" for county work and to guide community‑based partners.

Completed items highlighted in the report include a SAGE cultural‑competency certification for AAA staff to better serve LGBTQ+ older adults, and a Silver Shield awareness mailing inserted in the county's personal property tax mailing that reached about 650,000 residents. Margueta noted the Silver Shield program will formally move under the Fairfax AAA on Oct. 1 to provide a permanent organizational home.

"The goal of the shape the future of aging plan is to act as a North Star," Margueta said, describing a dot‑system used to track initiative progress and the plan's alignment with equity goals. She told the committee that initiative development committees (IDCs) have focused on inclusive membership and continuing equity discussions to avoid ageist language and ensure community voice.

Margueta described three new pilot initiatives launched this year:

- Dementia‑friendly partners: a long‑term initiative to establish dementia‑friendly organizations across local government, nonprofit and for‑profit sectors; the AAA was certified as a dementia‑friendly organization this spring and the initiative aims to recruit additional partners by May 2028.

- Creating the Fairfax Culture of Connection: a Neighborhood and Community Services‑led pilot to reduce social isolation through partner coalitions and awareness campaigns; the pilot will develop a partner coalition within the Coordinating Council on Aging and Adults with Disabilities (CCAD).

- Advanced care planning workshop series: a pilot delivered in three senior centers that aims to increase end‑of‑life planning and advance directives; the series is championed by Goodwin Living Hospice and Neighborhood and Community Services with Health Department support.

Margueta said other outreach implemented since the last report includes market research that recommended website updates and a partner toolkit with social‑media messaging, bus wraps and Channel 16 programming, and library‑based pilots to promote transportation resources. She also noted production of a consumer resource guide to home repair and renovation and a multilingual flyer to promote home‑sharing resources.

The AAA highlighted national recognition for the agency's virtual‑reality project. Chairman Alcorn noted that the Fairfax AAA was selected for a 2025 U.S. Aging Achievement Award in the caregiving category for the "Exploring the Dimensions of Aging through Virtual Reality" embodied‑labs pilot.

Board members thanked staff and commissioners for progress and asked for continued outreach and data collection as pilots expand. Margueta said a full annual report and addenda, including scoring details for initiatives, appear in the committee packet (page 40).