Managing Health

The goal of aging in place and being able to live independently is often dependent on your health. The ability to age comfortably and safely in your own home means having made thoughtful plans for what may happen when your health needs change.

We are lucky to have excellent provider options from nearby hospitals, urgent care to hundreds of physicians and specialists.

Living in Fairfax County, you have access to many health-related resources. In this section, you will also find information available from national nonprofit and governmental organizations that can help you or a caregiver create a plan especially when faced with a chronic condition or even deal with a crisis.

If you are in the middle of a health crisis, you may want to engage a care manager to help you through it, especially if you need to evaluate your options and you do not have a plan or know where to start.

Assisted Living

Board and Care

Care Management

Crisis Hotlines

Disease-Related Organizations

Educational Opportunities

Hospitals and Urgent Care

Memory Care

Nursing Home

Rehabilitation Facilities

Other Providers

Photo of Reston Hospital Center with link

Assisted Living

For older adults or persons with disabilities who need help with some Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) such as shopping, cleaning, prepping meals, or or managing money and everyday tasks daily living such as bathing, toileting, dressing or exacting assisted living is often the next best option for those who still want to live as independently as possible.

By definition, assisted living provides personal care but not round-the clock medical attention like a nursing home. There are several assisted living facilities in Reston and nearby that charge an average monthly fee of $6,000, though most fees tend to be higher. It’s always a good idea to visit different facilities to see what they are like and to learn about the costs.

There are several assisted living facilities in Reston proper and nearby that charge an average monthly fee of $6,000 but most fees tend to be far higher than that. It’s always a good idea to visit different facilities to see what they are like and to learn about the costs.

Virginia’s Department of Health Office of Licensure and Certification licenses and inspects assisted living facilities and reports can be found on their website. For guidance on the reports, contact the Northern Virginia Long-Term care Ombudsman Program at (703) 324-5861, TTY 711 or by email NVLTCOP@fairfaxcounty.gov.

  • AARP publishes a helpful checklist for consumers to use before moving to assisted living as do the associations that represent the industry.

Board and Care Homes

These are homes located in residential neighborhoods that are equipped and staffed to provide daily care for a small number of residents. While there are no board and care homes in Reston, you can find them nearby in Vienna and McLean.

  • AARP has a good article about what to consider when comparing board and care homes with assisted living and ways to assess whether it’s a good fit for you or someone you care about.

  • The National Institute on Aging also a comprehensive guide to different types of facilities that provide long-term care, including board and care homes.

  • The Fairfax Area Agency on Aging may help you find a nearby board and care home, or you can ask at a local senior center or a certified senior advisor to learn more about them.

Care Management

Elderlink. A partnership between the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging and Inova Health System, ElderLink provides affordable care management services that includes assessment, care plan development and monitoring. Functional and income eligibility requirements apply. It sometimes offers classes on chronic disease self management as well as help for caregivers. (703) 324-5374. TTY 711

Aging Life Care Association. Find an aging life care professional in our area using their online search tool. An Aging Life Care Professional is a health and human services specialist who acts as a guide and advocate for families who are caring for older relatives or disabled adults.

Crisis Hotlines

  • Adult Protective Services. Fairfax County’s free program investigates reports of abuse, neglect or exploitation of adults. (703) 324-7450 TTY 711

  • Emergency Mental Health Services. Fairfax County’s program is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for persons in crisis or experiencing a mental health emergency. Services include crisis intervention and stabilization, and evaluation for referrals to crisis care facilities, emergency shelters, and hospitals. Mobile Crisis Units are also available. (703) 573-5679 TTY 711

  • Coordinated Service Planning. This program connects resident to Fairfax County and community-based resources to address immediate (and long-term =) needs such as food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, employment and financial assistance. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (703) 222-0880 TTY 711

  • Friendship Line. Offered by the San Francisco-based Institute on Aging, volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help older adults (aged 60 and older) and adults living with disabilities in crisis. It also provides emotional support for those needing social contact and call-out services for those who are eligible. An intake referral form is available on its website.

    • (888) 670-1360

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMSA) offers a confidential, 24-hour national helpline that offers referrals and treatment information. The agency also offers both behavioral and substance abuse service locators for treatment centers in the Reston area.

  • Veteran’s Crisis Line. Dial 988 then press 1. Text 838255

Disease Related Organizations

Often national organizations have listings of local resources that may be helpful if you or someone you care about are faced with managing a chronic illness.

Mental Health

Educational Opportunities

You can find a number of local ways to educate yourself about health-related or aging issues sometimes faced by older adults. The National Council on Aging offers AgeWell Planner that has online questionnaires that can find personalized resources and tools as well as benefits programs.

  • Aging Matters. Weekly interview program that features guests with expertise on an array of aging topics. The podcast airs from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Tuesdays on Arlington community radio WERA 96.7 - LP FM.

  • Getting the Care You Need (A Guide for People with Disabilities). Published by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the guide offers information and checklists to assist people with disabilities to ensure they receive the care they need.

  • Northern Virginia Falls Prevention Alliance. The Alliance lists useful resources as well as links to local organizations such as senior centers that offer occasional falls prevention classes for older adults. Watch a trailer for Saving Claire, a video production they use in their educational efforts.

  • Home Fall Prevention Checklist. The federal Centers for Disease Control produces this checklist to help older adults find and fix potential hazards in the home.

  • Golden Gazette is a free monthly newsletter published by Fairfax County that covers a variety of topics of interest to older residents. It’s easy to subscribe either online or in print. (703)324-4653

Hospital, Medical and Urgent Care

Reston is home to a community hospital as well as hundreds of health care providers, from family physicians to specialists in nearly every discipline. Often, you can find provider listings through their professional organizations. Quality of care information on hospitals can be found on Medicare.gov using their Compare tool.

  • American Geriatrics Society. You can find an online directory of geriatricians, those physicians who specialize in treating the elderly and a comprehensive collection information on managing your health on their healthinaging.org website. The site includes helpful wellness and prevention information for both individuals and caregivers that has been vetted by geriatricians.

  • CVS Minute Clinic. Located in the South Lakes Shopping Center, the clinic is generally open until 6:30 PM and offers treatment for minor illness or injuries, physicals, screenings and monitoring. There is also one in nearby Herndon. (866) 389-2727

  • Capital Caring offers primary care at home similar to what used to be called house calls. It is designed mainly for older adults over age 55 who are homebound and are aging in place. 24-hour care line: (800) 869-2136

  • FamilyDoctor.org. Sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the site offers information on a variety of topics including a special section for seniors, how to choose a doctor and a Neighborhood Navigator that finds social services in the area.

  • Inova Emergency Care. Part of the Inova Fairfax Hospital system, the emergency room at the corner of Baron Cameron and Fountain Drive is open 24 hours a day. It is not a full-service emergency room. (703) 668-8333

  • Inova Health Care System. A not-for-profit system, it includes nearby hospitals (including a major medical center in Fairfax and a community hospital in Fair Oaks), long-term care facilities, assisted living and outpatient services as well as the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Northern Virginia. (855) 694-6682

  • Inova Urgent Care. Located in the North Point Village Center, it is open seven days a week during the day. You can save a spot online or just walk in.

  • Inova Medical House Calls. Currently available in zip code 20171, this program brings primary care to homebound patients aged 65 and older. (703) 698-2431.

  • Reston Hospital Center. A full service, 231-bed community hospital with a 24-hour emergency room, Reston Hospital Center also offers courses in diabetes management and grandparents raising grand babies. It is part of the for-profit HCA chain. (703) 689-9000

Memory Care

Memory care is a specialized type of care for older adults with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. It's designed to help people with memory loss live as independently as possible in a safe and structured environment. It is provided in stand-alone facilities, assisted living, nursing homes, life care communities and in adult day programs.

Nursing Home

Nursing homes are facilities where people can live and get full-time medical care on a long-term basis. Most nursing home care is custodial care, which means it helps people with activities of daily living (like bathing, dressing, and eating).

Original Medicare doesn’t cover custodial care if it’s the only care you need. Original Medicare may cover skilled care at a nursing home, at a skilled nursing facility/inpatient rehabilitation facility or in your home (with home health care), if you need short-term skilled care for an illness or injury and you meet certain conditions. 

A nursing home is an option for those who can no longer perform three activities of daily living, such as toileting, grooming, or feeding oneself, and who need round the clock nursing care that they can no longer receive at home. Most nursing homes also offer rehabilitation services which, unlike custodial or long-term care, may be covered by Medicare. While there is no nursing home in Reston, there are some nearby. The average cost of nursing home care in Virginia is about $8,000 a month for a semi-private room.

To find a current list of nearby homes and compare their quality or overall star ratings, visit Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare tool. The government program includes data on annual nursing staff turnover and staffing rates.

It’s a good idea to read the National Institute on Aging’s How to Choose a Nursing Home before beginning your search and tours. There is no substitute for visiting a home before you choose and experts say to pay special attention to and ask questions of staff and your medical providers.

25 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Solve Them: This Justice in Aging guide identifies facility falsehoods, explains relevant law, and offers step-by-step instructions for protecting resident rights and securing better care.

If you or someone you care about is living in a nursing home and is concerned about the quality of care, the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is there to help. Call (703) 324-5961 or e-mail NVLTCOP@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The Federal Eldercare Locator can help you find Information, counseling, and referral on aging and long-term care issues, legal services and adult protective services.

Rehabilitation Facilities

An inpatient rehabilitation facility may be a hospital, or part of a hospital or nursing home, that provides intensive rehabilitation to inpatients. Many patients with conditions like stroke or brain injury are transferred or admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility after a hospital stay. Medicare.gov Compare tool can help you find Medicare-certified inpatient rehabilitation facilities in our area and compare them based on the quality of care they provide. You may also want to ask friends or relatives about facilities they know of or recommend.

Other Providers

Reston is home to hundreds of health care providers, from family physicians to specialists in nearly every discipline. we also have a number of assisted living facilities. Often, you can find listings through their professional organizations. To find information on assisted living and skilled nursing facilities/nursing homes, visit our Housing section.