NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Community Awareness and Education How to Spread your Message Focusing attention, building capacity, supporting action

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition First things First: Let’s Hear from the Audience How much experience do you have with communications? How comfortable do you feel working in this area? Focusing attention, building capacity, supporting action

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Creating Communications that Work A.What are Your Goals? B.Who is Your Audience? C.What do they Need to Know? (Your Message) D.What is their Call to Action?

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition A. Your Goals What needs to change? – People need to know that depression is a common problem among older adults but it is not a normal part of aging – Health professionals need to recognize the huge burden of depression, suicide and substance misuse among older adults What do you want them to do? – Learn about mental health and substance misuse and abuse among older adults

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition What They Need to Know Limit the Number of Messages to 3 or 4 Tell the readers only what they need to know Here is the problem Here is why it is important to you Here is what you can do about it

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition What They Need to Know Tell the readers what you want them to do Be clear and concrete Say: Mental health problems are not a normal part of aging. NOT: Approximately 6% of persons over 65 years of age have a diagnosable depressive illness.

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition What They Need to Know Tell the readers what you want them to do Focus on the positive Say: Talk to your primary care physician about your symptoms. Not: Don’t ignore your symptoms.

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition What They Need to Know Tell them the the benefits of a)reading your material, AND b)doing your behavior…keep it to-the-point. Example: Learn about depression in older adults Talking to a health care professional about your depression and getting help can improve your life

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition What They Need to Know Choose your words carefully: keep it short Words: 1-2 syllables Sentences: 8-10 words long Paragraphs: 3-5 sentences *Don’t make the reader feel bad about their current behavior

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition What They Need to Know vi. Choose your words carefully Write in a conversational tone, as if talking to a Friend. Say: Go to your doctor and talk about how your are feeling. Your doctor can tell you if you are depressed and can make suggestions on how to feel better. Not: Depression in older adults can cause physical, social and mental impairments.

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Call to Action Makes your communication not purely informational Increases engagement with and likelihood of remembering the message It can be simple—just asking to call a number or visit a website

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Choosing a Medium Media Channels Television Cable Television Radio Print Media

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Media Channels Other Placements – Stores (i.e. drug stores) – Churches – Medical Practices – Where do your audiences gather? Social Media

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Media Channels Pick the one your audience pays attention to!

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Advocacy Define your goals and shape them into a legislative agenda. Use your legislative agenda to educate legislators. Form partnerships with other advocacy groups to advocate for your priorities.

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition The Magic Words for Effective Communication Repeat, Repeat, Repeat Personal Contact Focus, Focus, Focus Benefits Your Goals

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Discussion: Strengths, Gaps & Next Steps What strengths do you have in your community that you can build upon? What gaps do you see that need further development/resources What are the next steps to get started with spreading the word about mental health, substance use and older adults in your community?

NC Mental Health, Substance Use, & Aging Coalition Contact Information