A guide to marketing communications for day centres

Websites are an increasingly important source of information for many individuals and professionals. For some, websites are a first point of call. However, online information about day centres and information for carers on local authority websites is very variable in detail and quality. It is important to ensure that information is available online, and that information is accessible and inclusive. This contributes to respecting and protecting the rights of people with disabilities, including people living with dementia and their carers.  Although many older people do not use the internet, the Covid-19 pandemic has improved digital access for many older people.

Listing your day centre information on websites

Day centre providers may have their own website, or pages on an organisational website. Day centre providers may choose to make information available on other websites hosting directories of services; these may cover whole areas, selected, boroughs, smaller areas, or may be themed by groups of people (e.g. carers, people living with dementia, minority ethnic groups). Often, the service provider will be responsible for providing information and for updating this from time to time. Keeping the information reliable and up to date can be challenging but it is important, and it is worth checking how this will be done. There may be an online form to submit this information.

•    Examples of service directory social prescribing websites are Lewisham Wellbeing Map, Lambeth’s MYcommunityDirectory and Social Prescribing London’s London-wide website Simply Connect London which was created in 2021 to support the Mayor of London’s vision for every Londoner to have access to a social prescription. 
•    CarePlace is a London-wide service directory commissioned by Commissioning Alliance which supports local authorities.
 

Social media is any online service or website that allows content to be created and shared, and connections and interactions made within virtual communities or networks. Social media platforms include X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp (which is a more restricted platform for messaging or supporting specific groups of people such as volunteers). Some of these are linked (e.g. Instagram and Facebook). Some allow static content, such as news, announcements, or photos. Some also allow “stories”; these are short videos or a series of images with text.

Social media is a cost-effective way to build relationships with multiple stakeholders. Using social media helps give a “personality” to a day centre, and can help foster relationships. It can be used for awareness-raising, highlighting events, or notable achievements. It is effective for telling stories, and it helps generate positive word of mouth messages. It can be used to support and engage people in the community, such as for virtual support groups, or lunch sessions. 

Although many service users do not use social media themselves, it is a key tool for marketing communications.  Users can ‘follow’ an account so that they are alerted when new material is posted. It enables funders and donors to have an idea of  the general activity and progress of day centres, or to find out more before investing. It is important to select the social media platform which is the  most relevant for the audience that you want to reach. 

•    Example: Read about how Bring Me Sunshine uses social media and some of the challenges faced.
•    Example: See how Age UK Wandsworth uses Instagram to bring alive day centre experiences by showcasing activities.
•    See Madeline Powell’s tips on boosting social media presence and creating a personality on social media (slides 15-16).

Linktree is a simple social media landing page. It allows users to create a personalised/customisable page of links they wish to share with their audience and descriptive text for these.

Its basic version is free of charge. A link to the page (the url) can be included in various places to guide visitors to other materials (e.g. in the descriptive text in Instagram or organisational details in Facebook). Visitors can “subscribe” to receive notifications of new content – such as publicity about upcoming events (e.g. open days).

•    Examples: See Age Concern Bracknell’s and Age UK Wandsworth’s Linktree pages.

Radio publicity and articles in free newspapers may reach people who are difficult to make contact with in-person, for example people who do not often leave their homes. Leaflets have long-since been used to reach people visiting places such as libraries, GP surgeries, supermarkets, or public buildings. 

Radio and printed publicity are useful for people who do not use technology. Leaflets can showcase highlights of a service and include individual testimonials and photos as well providing important details about times, location and a contact telephone number. Some people feel that printed information is more trustworthy than verbal recommendations. A day centre attender we spoke with during the development of these resources said:

"My sister already came to the club and was telling me all about it. (…) I think a leaflet would have been more helpful, and I might have come sooner. Because it's sort of like saying things on paper, and by word of mouth, they might say things that are not happening. And if you have a leaflet that you know exactly what's going on."

Leaflets summarising research about day centres may reassure older people and carers and encourage them to try a day centre. 

See the two-page information sheet developed for the Resources Hub which summarises some of the main messages coming from six recent UK research studies and illustrates these with quotes from some of the older people and family carers interviewed for these studies: Day centres for older people: what do people say about them?
 

Newsletters help keep people you are already in contact with (e.g. regular clients, their family members or volunteers) informed about the organisation, events, news and announcements.They are also a good way to reach new people and organisations.

Local community organisations and funders may also be interested in keeping up to date via a newsletter. Some day centres produce monthly or quarterly newsletters. 

Some newsletters are printed, while others are electronic (email or website-based). An advantage to making newsletters available on a website is that any interested person or organisation who has searched and found the service website can read about the service, important news and have contact details. It is a good idea to include an option on the website to “subscribe” or “sign up” to the newsletter, so that someone can choose to receive it by email when issued. Some older people may prefer to receive paper copies.

Some electronic newsletters are Adobe Acrobat (pdfs) and some on e-libraries, such as Scribd, as well as being downloadable as a pdf.

•    Example: Devonshire Dementia Day Centre’s monthly newsletters combine photographs and news about activities with carer testimonials, information about the day centre and useful tips.
•    Example: Staywell News on Scribd
 

Tip: Including links to online newsletters and social media sites in automatic email footers can broaden awareness of a service.

In-person events may include having a stall at a local community summer fayre or holding an open day.

A staff member of a provider we spoke to about developing these resources felt that an open day is a secure way of helping the public to have a better understanding of what goes on in a service and who uses it. It also helps members of the public to feel it is a friendly space and a community asset. She felt this is necessary because ‘most day centres that I’ve seen, they are friendly inside, but it is kind of a fortress, you know, with big walls around it.’ 

•    Example: Merton and Morden Guild organises an annual open day on the building’s forecourt to raise awareness of its existence. The day is attended by the Mayor and includes demonstrations by its older members (tap dancing, music, exercise, line dancing), a buffet lunch and other fun activities. 
•    Example: Merton and Morden Guild, in partnership with the LA and the NHS is involved in celebrations for the annual International Day of Older Persons. Celebrations take place in the nearby Sainsbury’s Savacentre Superstore. M&MG organises demonstrations by people who attend its exercise classes. Other community organisations are also involved. The NHS offers blood pressure testing amongst other things.

In-person input (to external bodies) may include attending a local social services or NHS staff meeting or community group to speak briefly about the service (i.e. being actively engaged with the local community and social care and NHS communities). It can also be a good way to recruit volunteers whilst raising awareness of the service.

A staff member of a provider we spoke to about the development of these resources felt that an open day is a secure way of helping the public to have a better understanding of what goes on in a service and who uses it. It also helps members of the public to feel it is a friendly space and a community asset. She felt this is necessary because ‘most day centres that I've seen, they are friendly inside, but it is kind of a fortress, you know, with big walls around it.’

Photos

Photos and videos can help people visualise a service and build confidence and trust.  Photos and videos will be useful for people considering starting to attend a day centre, their relatives and any professionals speaking to someone about starting to attend a day centre as an option. Photos might be of people engaged in activities or chatting, of outings or of day centre rooms. A day centre manager we spoke with during the development of these resources said that photos would be good “to show people are engaged, and that it’s not a big, scary, cold day centre”.

•    The Centre for Ageing Better has a library of photos that are freely downloadable.
•    Example: Devonshire Dementia Day Centre’s newsletters make good use of well-captioned photos that demonstrate purposeful activity, singing, coffee and dancing.
 

Video content 

A short video can also be a good introduction to a day centre. It might show groups of people, or one or two people talking about what it’s like to go there. A manager might explain the benefits, or a social worker (for example) can explain why it’s useful to be able to refer someone to a day centre and the difference attending can make to people’s lives. The video could cover transport arrangements, how long the day lasts, lunch and refreshment provisions, some of the group activities that are organised, but that people can also do their own thing if they prefer, and who will be supporting them when they are there.

A slightly longer video may also cover other benefits such as safety, safeguarding, health monitoring, signposting and emotional support. Family carers will be interested in this, as will social prescribers, social workers and occupational therapists. A professional, doing assessments and referrals, may want to know how a service would meet their cognition, mobility and health needs, the location, travel time and transport arrangements. Your video need not be flashy or complicated. For example, it could include a short clip of someone who attends a day centre explaining why it is important to them.  It is a good idea to make sure that a video is accompanied by a transcript, where possible.

Social workers, occupational therapists, social prescribers and other suggesting day centre attendance may wish to show a video of their local day centre to potential users and their family members.

•    Example: Age Concern Bracknell Forest shares information about its day centre in a 3 minute 55 second video covering staff speaking about their work and what happens at the centre, a tour of the facilities and an invitation to visit. 
•    Example: A look inside the Devonshire Dementia Day Centre is a 41 second (YouTube) video embedded into the day centre webpage and on its YouTube channel. It paints the day centre as an opportunity for fun and shows photos and films of people at the day centre and the centre itself and its garden.
 

Individual stories (case studies) can convey how and why people find the service valuable and enjoy it. These stories are often called “case studies” (e.g. short overview of the person and the benefits they have experienced as a result of using the service).

Stories can be powerful when they are shared alongside other data about the day centre, for example in reports to funders. One way to do this is to share letters written by relatives of day centre attenders, which can appear as letters or "a review from an attender’s relative". Another is to use quotations from a completed satisfaction survey. 

Individual stories can also be written up (as more “formal” case studies) using the Most Significant Change approach. This involves using a person’s own words in a structured way to explain the most important change they have experienced as a result of using a service and why this change is important to them.

•    Example: Devonshire Dementia Day Centre’s webpage changes its stories regularly, featuring, for example, a letter from an attender’s daughter, and a video of another attender’s daughter.
•    Example: Staywell’s Raleigh House day centre webpage features a day centre attender talking briefly (49 seconds) about the difference that going to the centre has made to his wellbeing and a volunteer talks about how she has benefited from volunteering (3 mins 15 seconds). 
 

• What is available at the day centre (e.g. activities, additional services such as footcare), the building’s facilities and accessibility. 
• Important practicalities such as operational hours, lunch, transport, parking availability, which geographical areas are covered by the service, costs and payment arrangements.
• Contact details for someone who can offer more information or discuss the service.

These may include free 'taster' days, coffee mornings for current members and others who are interested, extra services available (e.g. toenail cutting or hairdressing), links to newsletters and photos, videos or individual testimonials that add a human element or enable readers to gain further insight into the service, what the day centre offers and how people benefit from it.

•    Example: Age Concern Bracknell Forest’s professional referral form (halfway down the page) reiterates important information (e.g. times, cost, facilities, its dementia-friendliness credentials, eligibility), emphasises the low hourly cost of the service and signposts to an informational video about the day centre. 

Consider what social care or NHS professionals may wish to know. For example, is the exercise class run weekly an Extend exercise class led by a qualified person? Are some activities designed around a particular therapeutic programme (such as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy)? An occupational therapist would welcome knowing this information before making a referral. Mentioning specific activities designed to be dementia-friendly is helpful for professionals and reassuring for carers. Including a referral form for professionals to use will make the process easier for them. Cost information is key.

Day centres may like to extend an invitation to social workers or social prescribing link workers to visit. These people and others in social care and NHS roles, may value visiting the day centre as part of an induction when they are new in post. 

Examples:
•    When Staywell’s Raleigh House staff gained qualifications in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, a blog about this was published, featuring a video explaining CST, and this was also advertised on its dementia support web page.
•    Staywell’s website includes a page specifically for people making referrals.
•    Age Concern Bracknell Forest’s website includes terms and conditions, a support plan and a referral form for professionals to use.
•    Staywell advertises Bradbury Centre’s weekly programme of activities, including times, booking details and costs.
 

Below are two very different but good examples of straightforward day centre web pages. (i.e. one single page)

Example: Age UK Wandsworth one page 

The web page about Age UK Wandsworth’s Gwynneth Morgan Day Centre is simple and also explains the process of accessing the service, including the option of a free 'taster' day. It is accompanied by a colourful pdf leaflet with photos.

Example: Age Concern Bracknell’s website: all the information.

As well as including photos and text about what it offers, the day centre page on Age Concern Bracknell Forest’s website states that its care team is trained and experienced, and also includes downloadable Terms and Conditions (with complete information about using the day centre – definitions, introduction, journey into our care, the service, trial periods/monitoring, illness/medication/meals, fees, closures, a Covid-19 disclaimer, cancellation policy, additional information, billing and invoicing information and a service agreement the T&Cs), a downloadable support plan to fill in (also available through a direct link on its Linktree page), a professional referral form and information on current availability. 

Providers will need to improve their skills to make adequate information about day centres available online. However, staff and volunteers do not necessarily have the skills or equipment to make video clips or create and update web pages. Volunteer support might also come from young people wanting to gain some work experience.

Below is an example of a day centre that secured volunteer IT help with social media

• A voluntary sector day centre receives IT support from a volunteer once a week (2.5 hours). This has enabled the organisation, which was lacking in IT expertise, to have social media presence (X - formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) and an improved website. Staff provide materials (photos, text) for the volunteer to use. The volunteer loves computers and technology and was introduced to the organisation by their LA support worker, who accompanies them during volunteering time. The volunteer has been in this role for four years.
• The National Council for Voluntary Organisations’ website provides help and guidance on digital technology which includes planning a website and a comparison of DIY website building tools. 
• The Digital Inclusion Toolkit provides straightforwardly written guidance on setting up a website for small organisations, an introduction to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), information about free software (including for working with photos and videos) and resources and case study examples.
   

Ensuring that your web pages appear when people search online is important. This is possible by including key words (e.g. older people, day centre, day care, club, elderly) behind what is visible. Doing this is called ‘Search Engine Optimisation’. This is explained simply in Wikipedia and more about this can be found in this free guide to online marketing. People feeling brave might like to read more detailed information on the gov.uk pages.

Permission should be sought to share materials that identify people or share personal stories (e.g. photos, individual stories, films, recordings). Our template form seeking such permissions that can be adapted for local use and can be downloaded in Word format for local use.

In gaining permissions, it is important to remember the Mental Capacity Act principles around consent.  Many older day centre attenders will have mental capacity to give consent for the use of their photos/film etc, but some may not. Some people’s capacity fluctuates. Some people have capacity to make some decisions but not others. Complying with the MCA will mean discovering whether a person has capacity to give the necessary permission at the time it is being requested. If they do not, a proxy will need to be approached for permission (e.g. a family member).

Discovering a person’s capacity to give permission can be relatively straightforward and can be done by someone at the day centre who would explain they would like the person’s permission to use photos etc. They should explain what the photos might be used for, that they may be used for some time, and that the person can withdraw their permission in the future. The individual ‘assessing’ the person’s capacity to make this decision would then use the 4-stage test of capacity, during which further questions about understanding/decisions are asked. The person may be asked to explain their understanding of the situation:

1. Can they understand what is being asked of them and any consequences?

2. Can they weigh up this information?

3. Can they make a decision about it?

4. Can they communicate their decision?