Area Agency on Aging Communication Referral Information and Assistance Program Aims to Help Clients Age in Place

The Prince William Area Agency on Aging Communication Referral Information and Assistance, or CRIA, program seeks to help clients age in place for as long as possible by identifying clients’ needs and finding the correct programs to help.

When clients or caregivers call the CRIA line at 703-792-6374, an intake team member will begin with questions to get as much information as possible to point people in the right direction. Whether they are facing homelessness, have a hoarding problem, do not know where they’re going to get their next meal or have other issues, a member of CRIA is there to assist.

“We see all of those as big concerns, but our main focus is to make sure that it does stay client-centered, so our first question is going to be, ‘What do you see as your most immediate concern?’ We make sure the client identifies their goals first before we impose anything on them,” said Alicia Jones, Area Agency on Aging, or AAA, Supportive Services Supervisor.

Once the intake team members determine the best course of action, they will go to work looking for answers. “We will make sure that we contact our community partners. We reach out to various resources to make sure that we can have those goals addressed in the appropriate way,” Jones said.

From there, intake team members will try to let clients handle as much as they can because they are the ones who best know what they need. “The client knows exactly what their continued needs are going to be, and a lot of the resources that we’re going to give them do require that the client reaches out on their own,” Jones said. “We do make sure that they know that we are there to assist them as much as possible, but we do want them to be able to age in place in the community of their choice and feel as independent and empowered as possible by putting a lot of those resources into their hands.”

Follow up is key to success, so the CRIA team will stay on the case and check on peoples’ progress as their case moves along. “We’re still going to leave the case open for a little bit so that you can come back to us if there is anything else that you might have as an issue,” Jones said. 

Visit pwcva.gov/department/area-agency-aging for more information.  

See a video on the CRIA program here.