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Pennsylvania: “Elderly Pennsylvanians Deserve Honor and Respect”
When the Pennsylvania Department of Aging observed that African-American, Latino and rural elders were less likely than members of other groups to access services, the Department decided to broaden the scope of its media and outreach efforts. It contracted with Beach Advertising Firm to carry develop a campaign.
A first step was to conduct focus groups and individual interviews with seniors, services providers and non-elderly members of the three communities to determine whether it would be possible to reach the three target groups through a single campaign. The groups and interviews revealed several commonalities. Members of all three groups felt marginalized from mainstream society. All three believed that respect for elders in their communities remained high. They were also in agreement that outreach should emphasize honor and respect for seniors rather than abuse. A direct approach to abuse, they believed, would portray their communities in a negative light and increase anxiety toward reporting and interacting with authorities, who had historically been unsympathetic towards them. Professionals, on the other hand, wanted a more “hard hitting” campaign.
The Department chose to follow the communities' lead, and the campaign theme became “Elderly Pennsylvanians Deserve Honor and Respect.” The message was used in brochures, posters, and radio and television public services announcements. All printed materials were produced in both English and Spanish because research shows that Spanish-only brochures are less likely to be reprinted. All materials depicted positive images of elders and caregivers. The primary targets of the campaign were elders, their families neighbors, and anyone else who was likely to observe abuse. Radio was identified as a key medium because it reaches all segments of the community and caters to specific demographic groups (e.g. age, ethnicity, language and geography). Radio and television announcements were produced with voiceovers in Spanish and distinctly African-American and rural accents. The Department encouraged local communities to customize outreach to meet their individual needs by providing them with small grants to adapt the materials.
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