Aging is an Active Verb

Aging Services of California sponsors a multi- media public education campaign that promotes the theme "Aging is an Active Verb." The public education effort redefines aging as a lifelong process everyone experiences rather than a label placed on the elderly. This California campaign complements an ambitious national effort to restructure the long-term care financing system.

Find out more about the "Aging is an Active Verb" campaign by clicking on a topic heading below.

• "Age is just a number, II" (60 seconds)
• "La Edad es Solo un Número, II" (60 seconds)
• "Age is just a number, II" (30 seconds)
• "La Edad es Solo un Número, II" (30 seconds)
• "Age is just a number, II" (30 seconds, alternate)
• "La Edad es Solo un Número, II" (30 seconds, alternate)
• Strategic outcomes
• "Age is just a number" (60 seconds)
• "Age is just a number" (30 seconds)
• "Age is just a number" (30 seconds, alternate)
• "Advantage Grandpa" (30 seconds)
• Creative development
• Campaign launch and overview

Note: You may need to download and install Windows Media Player 11 to view the PSAs.

"Age is just a number, II" (60 seconds)

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"La Edad es Solo un Número, II" (60 seconds)

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"Age is just a number, II" (30 seconds)

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"La Edad es Solo un Número, II" (30 seconds)

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"Age is just a number, II" (30 seconds, alternate)

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"La Edad es Solo un Número, II" (30 seconds, alternate)

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Strategic outcomes
The PSAs are a key component of Aging Services' multimedia "Aging is an Active Verb" public education campaign. The over-arching goal of the campaign is to redefine "aging" as a life-long process everyone experiences rather than simply a label applied to older individuals. The campaign challenges stereotypes and misapprehensions about growing older. As it specifically translates to the association's members, the message promotes senior living and care as viable opportunities and choices to ensure the aging experience is healthy, independent and active.

Additionally, the campaign positions Aging Services and its provider-members as vital resources for information and services. An intended outcome of this fundamental public relations strategy is to use the mass media to indirectly influence the attitudes and actions of legislators and other government policy makers.

The creative messages in the two PSAs -- titled "Advantage Grandpa" and "Age is Just a Number" are tagged at the end with "Learn more at aging.org." In the first two months since the spots began running, the association's website has experienced a dramatic increase in visitors. By comparison, from months July 2006 to July 2007 the number of unique visits to the site has increased by 75 percent to more than 44,000. The visits since June 2007 also are averaging 10 percent increases per month. Notably, the facility search to Aging Services' provider-members under "Senior Living and Care CONSUMERS" continues to receive an increasing volume of "hits."

Aging Services members are taking advantage of the creative productions by adding them to their organizations' websites. For example, Southern California Presbyterian Homes (www.scphs.com) and ABHOW (www.abhow.com) feature the campaign logo on their homepage with a link to the actual PSAs. Episcopal Homes Foundation highlights the spots on its Affiliations page (www.ehf.org). Many other organizations are in the process of adding the visuals and/or linking to www.aging.org. Information on downloading the PSAs is available at www.aging.org or by contacting Claudia Anderson at Aging Services at canderson@aging.org.

DVD copies of the Aging Services' public service announcements are available for presentations. Contact Aging Services to request a copy.

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"Age is just a number" (60 seconds)

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"Age is just a number" (30 seconds)

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"Age is just a number" (30 seconds, alternate)

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"Advantage Grandpa" (30 seconds)

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Creative development
Television stations throughout the state are airing the two uniquely age-specific public service announcements. Produced by Aging Services of California, the spots encourage viewers, particularly baby boomers, to plan ahead to ensure their aging experience is healthy, safe, independent and active.

The PSAs are the centerpiece of the associations' statewide, multi-media public education campaign, which promotes the theme "Aging is an active verb." The California- based program also complements an ambitious national effort to restructure the long-term care financing system.

The PSA "Age is Just a Number" juxtaposes stories of everyday seniors with active, productive lives with archival film of famous individuals who have accomplished extraordinary feats later in life. "Advantage Grandpa," follows an active senior enjoying a variety of recreational activities while his visiting grandson declines requests to join in, preferring to play his hand-held electronic game. Both spots include the tagline "Learn more at aging.org." The association- sponsored public- interest website offers practical information on the expansive range of senior support services and helps prospective consumers locate providers of nonprofit senior living and care throughout the state.

Lights shine on residents
Filmed in Northern California, the productions feature several talented local seniors -- including senior advocate Marjory Parker, a resident of Paradise Valley Estates in Fairfield, as she enters the State Capitol; and Mattie Raeford, a resident of Pioneer Tower in Sacramento, as she begins a new writing project. More seniors are highlighted reading to schoolchildren, swimming laps and enjoying various other recreational activities.

Mattie Raeford on computer in "Age is Just a Number" PSA.	Marjory Parker at Capitol in "Age is Just a Number" PSA.
Swimmer William "Stan" Aldrich in "Age is Just a Number" PSA.

The project's New York based production team, Pilotfish Productions, includes writer/producer Zac Greenbaum and director/editor/producer William Philbin. Cinematographer Cliff Traiman is based in San Francisco. 

Redefining aging
Aging Services' public education effort intends to redefine aging as an active verb, as a lifelong process everyone experiences rather than a label placed on the elderly. Additional strategies include introducing the newly formatted website, www.aging.org, which will be filled with practical resources, news and links for consumers, senior living residents, media and, of course, association members. Development of publications and articles on emerging trends in aging, partnerships with universities and other nonprofit organizations, resident surveys and events, social accountability resources and other special projects will support the campaign as well as the association's ongoing public policy advocacy, events and member outreach.

The Aging Services campaign and the national long-term care financing project initially are co-sponsored by a number of leading nonprofit organizations, including American Baptist Homes of the West, Eskaton, Southern California Presbyterian Homes, Northern California Presbyterian Homes & Services and Retirement Housing Foundation. Bethany Center Senior Housing in San Francisco and The Redwoods in Marin also contributed to the state campaign.

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Campaign launch and overview
Each year it seems one social issue takes hold of the public and media consciousness to become the cause du annee. In the recent past, homelessness, domestic violence, AIDS, autism, crime, jobs and global warming have enjoyed this favored, albeit short-lived status. (Apparently society's capacity for compassion responds best to one issue at a time, thus avoiding "social issue fatigue.") Fortunately, as the window of opportunity closes for one cause it opens for another.

This year, healthcare appears to be the "chosen" social issue. This being the case, aging- related issues are in position to benefit indirectly by surfing the healthcare wave. There is a more assertive plan for Aging Services of California, one consistent with its new name and enhanced consumer outreach agenda: Aging Services could take a leadership role in promoting quality senior living and care as the public cause this year.

The first step is to redefine aging
Aging Services is planning to heighten the public consciousness with a comprehensive public education campaign. The goals of the "Aging is an Active Verb" campaign, which is scheduled to launch this summer, range from big-picture social change to more specific "marketing" of the association and its members' services -- and include:

1. Redefine "aging" as a life-long process everyone experiences rather than a word to identify the elderly; redefine "aging" as an active verb rather than a label.
2. Improve attitudes toward long-term care and challenge stereotypes and misapprehensions about senior living and care. Focus on resident satisfaction, multiple living/care options, diversity and technological advances.
3. Educate seniors and family members about nonprofit senior living and care options to improve quality of life; and make them more knowledgeable, proactive consumers of long- term care.
4. Promote social accountability of nonprofit senior living and care providers, including practices that validate tax-exempt status.
5. Advocate restructuring long-term care financing with a balanced public- private system that reflects the needs and interests of an aging population.
6. Position Aging Services of California as the statewide leader in nonprofit, quality senior living and care advocacy, education, communications and resources. Independently validate credibility of this leadership role. Increase (and expand the scope of) association membership with new senior living and care providers.

Strategies for the multimedia campaign include producing broadcast and print public service announcements; conducting research and surveys; building professional alliances; establishing a social accountability resource center; coordinating ongoing grassroots public policy advocacy; conducting extensive media outreach; redesigning a more consumer-friendly website (www.aging.org); and much more. Each campaign strategy will intentionally integrate and complement the community outreach and marketing efforts of association members.

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