Written on July 27th, 2011 by tasha
“Media advocacy” is the strategic engagement of the mass media to further a social or public policy initiative. A superb example of this was the On Our Own Terms documentary by Bill Moyers. When the series was aired on PBS, a companion website with Community Action pages was launched to support a media advocacy campaign to raise awareness concerning the need for increased public and private discussion of end-of-life care.
With promotion by the local media, many communities organized public showings and in the following months a movement began that resulted in over 360 end-of-life coalitions forming throughout the country. I remember my coalition in Eugene, Oregon identified transitions of care as our biggest issue and worked to create more connection and communication between providers. We were not alone. Across the country, other coalitions were also looking at the problem of continuity. Now, nearly 10 years later, improving care transitions is a top initiative for Medicare. I do not think that is coincidence.
In the next few months, I see several exciting opportunities for media advocacy around elder care issues. There are some special doorways open to us.
- This week Hospice ranked #1 as having the biggest impact on health care delivery in the last 35 years. In an NBA-style national vote-off, Modern Healthcare held an online contest to find out what person or organization was considered to be the biggest game-changer. Certainly hospice has had a profound impact. It continues to be revolutionary with its focus on compassionate relief of suffering, inter-disciplinary teams, treating the patient and family as a unit, patient education and self-determination, and its volunteer support component. This just happened Monday, so it is “news.” Download a press release from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and take it to the person in charge of the senior beat at your local media outlets. This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and the breadth of hospice’s expertise. Let them know that you are available for attributions (quotes) concerning a wide range of topics beyond death-and-dying, such as family caregiving, pain management, finding hope in difficult circumstances.
- 2011 is the Year of the Family Caregiver. The press likes these kinds of designations. The Administration on Aging has a Community Toolkit webpage with downloadable collateral including logos, posters, banner ads, etc. Schedule some talks around the community using the rubric of “The Year of the Family Caregiver.” You will get more attention from the media. They might even be willing to cover one of your events, or interview you about the plight of family caregivers.
- November is National Family Caregiver Month. It’s not too early to start planning. Again, with this special designation, the press is more likely to run articles on the topic of family caregivers, or cover family caregiver events in November. Plan a workshop, promote the free National Family Caregiver Teleconference, do something celebratory in your community. If you are a hospice, you may be used to emphasizing National Hospice Month, which is also in November. But there are many who turn away when they hear the “H” word. Plus, it seems self-serving of you to pitch hospice. But, if you put your name and brand behind a profound acknowledgement of family caregivers, these are key decision-makers. You are bound to get their favorable attention, reaching people who would not necessarily have engaged if the focus was directly hospice.
- “Consider the Conversation” is a documentary that examines multiple perspectives on talking about and preparing for end-of-life care, including information and experiences gathered from interviews with patients, family members, doctors, nurses, clergy, social workers, and national experts from around the country. Although it does not have all of the media advocacy support of On Our Own Terms, this documentary, with its intimate accounts of the emotional, spiritual, physical impact of talking (or not talking) about our wishes at the end of life, is receiving very positive reviews as a conversation starter. Talk to your PBS station about airing it and then work with a senior center, hospital or assisted living facility to host a discussion of about elder care and advance care planning.
- LIKE us on Facebook. I will be posting tips on media advocacy in particular over the next few weeks as we prompt professionals to leverage the power of the press to bring important elder care issues to the forefront.
As Anthropologist, Margaret Meade said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” And this was before we had Facebook, blogging or twitter!
Posted in GCM Marketing, Home Health Marketing, Hospice Marketing, Internet Marketing, Media Advocacy
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