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#OlderAmericansMonth

Join us for Older Americans Month 2024: Powered by Connection

The 2024 Older Americans Month theme Powered by Connection is the perfect prompt for LeadingAge members to share how your support, programs, and staff help older adults stay connected to boost their physical, emotional, and mental health. Use these members-only tools to join aging services professionals around the nation in demonstrating how you help older adults remain  #PoweredbyConnection.  

LeadingAge has created tools, tips, and tactics so aging services providers can showcase the connections you help older adults build to maintain their physical, mental, and emotional health.

Here are some ways to participate:

Promote #OlderAmericansMonth on Social Media

Promoting your Older Americans Month activities across social media is a great way to show how residents and clients of your organization are #AgingUnbound. The easiest way to participate is to share LeadingAge Texas' posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.  Be sure to follow us on social media, tag us, and use the hashtag #PoweredbyConnection in your posts.

LeadingAge prepared sample text to make it easy to post to your social media channels. If possible, use real visuals (photos or video) of older adults, family, and team members in your community—even if your visuals aren’t as high-quality as stock photos. Authenticity is key! Consult the LeadingAge Visual and Design Guide, part of the Opening Doors to Aging Services initiative, for more information. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for shareable graphics, also! 

Communications Tips

We’ve created turn-key materials for use by members, but you may also choose to create your own communications. Following is guidance to help you as you develop custom materials:

  • Let your residents and clients shine. Use real, not stock, photos (even if you sacrifice a bit of quality). Authenticity wins!
  • Quote your residents and clients. They are the authority on their aging experience.
  • Show how residents’ connections to family, friends, and your staff are part of your overall care approach. 
  • Incorporate video. Videos don’t need to be highly produced. Use short, genuine mobile phone videos to liven up your feed.
  • Use the hashtags #OlderAmericansMonth and #PoweredbyConnection. Tag LeadingAge in your Facebook and LinkedIn posts and @LeadingAge on Instagram. We’d love to see what you post!

GRAPHICS

SAMPLE POSTS/TWEETS:

  • Through wellness activities, arts projects, and intellectual pursuits, our trained staff support our residents/clients in connecting for better mental and physical health. #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • [Insert featured activity] is one of our residents’ favorite ways to connect. Better physical, emotional, and mental health is a great added bonus! #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • During our most recent outing, residents enjoyed connecting with others while [fill in activity]. Our activities program helps boost the physical, mental, and emotional health for residents of our community. #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • Our activities director creates programs that make everyone smile while we connect to boost physical and mental well-being. [add text to match your visual] #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • At [ your organization ], team members and residents alike say they build meaningful relationships that lift their spirits. These relationships are at the heart of our service and how we boost residents’ physical and emotional health. #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • Our residents and staff value the connections they make with each other. These relationships are an invaluable part of their daily experience that bring smiles and joy all around. #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • Technology IS for everyone. Our residents love trying new ways to connect with families, medical professionals, and friends. #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • The [insert club or group here] connects our residents and lets them share their knowledge and experiences. Our staff loves learning from our residents, too! #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection
  • [include unusual factoid about a resident/client] Our community members enjoy sharing and learning from each other. Connection: it’s one of the most fun ways to stay physically and mentally healthy. #OlderAmericansMonth #PoweredByConnection

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Please help spread the word about the valuable services that keep older adults connected to maintain their physical, emotional, and mental health. Adapt the sample text provided here, or create your own! Check the submissions guidelines at your local news outlet, but shorter (150-200 words) letters are usually more likely to get published. Use the hook of Older Americans Month to raise your organization’s visibility.

To the editor:

From Facebook groups or Zoom calls to in-person community meetings, given the multitude of opportunities to connect, it may seem odd that social isolation and loneliness is a global health problem. It affects people of all ages, but the highest rates of social isolation are found among older adults.

Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29% respectively and add an estimated $6.7 billion to Medicare spending annually, largely due to increased hospital and nursing home spending. Isolation is as detrimental to one’s longevity as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day!

The antidote to isolation is building connections. Throughout the month of May, which is Older Americans Month, observances will raise awareness of the positive impact that meaningful connections have on the well-being and health of older adults.

Fortunately, our area has many organizations that provide activities, programs, technology, and care to increase connections for older adults. At [your organization, then give some examples of what you do … ]

Every individual and organization in our community can help enhance the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of our older friends, neighbors, and family members. City, state, and federal lawmakers should set the tone by funding workforce, transportation, and community engagement programs to maintain the well-being of older adults. The #PowerofConnection is real.

Sincerely,

[name] [title]

[organization]

Please check out the Opening Doors to Aging Services website for more information & materials

Thank you to LeadingAge