Bringing Awareness in Our Community

Joining Fairfax Village in the City

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia recently put out a report, “Growing Old Together in Northern Virginia.” Among many interesting findings, one key takeaway is that "the majority of the region’s older residents want to age in place, in this place; in 2017-2021, just 6.5 percent of the older population moved houses, and 3.4 percent left Northern Virginia." This means that over 93% of older adults plan to stay in their home and even more stay in the area. Many will need support to do that.

Over seventy thousand individuals are living with dementia right here in Northern Virginia - we know that support is needed in our community. We are excited to share that Jennifer Denk, our Director of Community Engagement, has been appointed the Fairfax Village in the City Advisory Board, where she will serve as a subject matter expert on dementia! The Advisory Board is composed of 9 to 15 city residents representing key stakeholder groups; Jen will be able to share dementia expertise and bring awareness for those living with dementia looking to age in place in their Fairfax City community.

About Fairfax Village in the City

Fairfax Village in the City is a city-supported, volunteer-driven program developed to support Fairfax City residents aged 55 and older, as well as Fairfax City adults with disabilities, who wish to stay independent while remaining in their homes.

At the same time, the Village recruits and schedules vetted city-based volunteers to provide personal services like check-in calls and visits, basic and seasonal yard assistance, technology assistance, and transportation to appointments. The goal of the Village is to support healthy aging by sharing useful information, strengthening personal connections between neighbors, and providing opportunities for social interaction.

Jennifer Denk

Jennifer Denk, LMSW, CDP, CDSGF, LCSW Supervisee is the Director of Community Engagement at Insight Memory Care Center. Jen is a Licensed Master Social Worker who specializes in helping families living with dementia. She offers support and therapeutic counseling for those who are experiencing a myriad of caregiver burdens such as ambiguous loss, grief, guilt, role conflicts, care giver burnout and many other issues faced by care partners. Jen has worked exclusively with Insight since 2019 and has experience working directly with persons living dementia. She earned her MSW at George Mason University and is currently working towards her Clinical Social Work License.