Media Awards

• Carolyn Hill and Thomas Tenkley
• Adult Day Health Times
  

This award honors an individual or organization responsible for a print or electronic media product of a distinguished nature that advances the goals of NADSA and is deserving of national recognition.

Carolyn Hill, Chief of Clinical Services
Thomas Tenkley, Program Director
Foundation for Senior Living Adult Day Services
Phoenix, AZ

Region One Area Agency on Aging has operated within the greater Phoenix area for over 30 years, offering services and support to enhance the lives of those we serve. The Foundation for Senior Living Adult Day Service Program responded to a grant opportunity and was selected as the recipient based upon their innovative idea that would not only produce an informational and educational video, but would also serve as a project that would allow all adult day service providers the opportunity to collaborate and participate in the production. 

The end product was a creative, professional seven-minute video sharing the story of adult day services, and a 30-second public service announcement that could be used by our local television stations. A master copy was made available for future reproductions. The video content allowed family members, staff and program participants to tell their stories and share their personal perspectives regarding the services and value of those cost-effective community programs.

2500 attractively packaged videos were made available to all Arizona adult day centers to educate the community and promote the individual programs. The Foundation for Senior Living not only uses the video to promote adult day services on their website, but also posted it on YouTube, hoping to reach a wider audience through the Internet.

—Written by Mary Lynn Kasunic

Adult Day Health Times
Washington Adult Day Services Association
Seattle, WA

Advocacy efforts for the Washington Adult Day Services Association bring together a broad constituency of the state's adult day services staff, clients and family caregivers to publicly express their support for dozens of adult day programs. These constituents call, write and meet with their legislators and testify before legislative subcommittees. The goal: to advocate for continued funding for adult day services in the state, especially adult day health programs for low-income residents.

This year an additional advocacy tool was added in the form of a unique media piece: Adult Day Health Times, a weekly series of newsletters which were mailed to Governor Christine Gregoire and the 147 legislators who comprise the Washington House and Senate.

Adult Day Health Times is a simple one-sheet with two or three short articles in each issue. Under the masthead is the motto "Smart Money Invested in the Future of Aging," helping position adult day health as a cost-effective long-term care option.

WADSA's Executive Director Sara Myers collaborated with several adult day providers to produce data, article copy and the design of the newsletter. ElderHealth Northwest, Northshore Adult Day Health and St. Joseph Hospital Adult Day Health are among the collaborating agencies.

Among featured newsletter topics are articles showing how adult day health...

• saves money and lives
• provides innovative services (e.g., for persons with TBI, dementia)
• reduces health care utilization
• supports family caregivers
• prevents tragedies that can arise from neglecting frail, vulnerable elders

After each issue was mailed to legislators, it was also posted as a PDF. The newsletters were encouraged to "go viral," with posts to sites such as ElderHealth Northwest's Facebook page.

After adult day health funding for low-income persons was completely cut from the Washington State budget at the beginning of 2009, Adult Day Health Times was one of the advocacy tools that helped restore partial funding in the State's final budget for the biennium. Other state coalitions are encouraged to produce similar advocacy messaging documents using this collaborative approach.

—Written by Doug Harkness