Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2019_Joomag

FEATURE SOCIAL MEDIA the amount of tweets we were potentially confusing our audience and that the power of our initial message was reduced. Therefore, we reduced our daily tweets to one or two tweets and the run charts settled into meaningful data, suggesting that our followers were engaging in a regular and routine capacity. Variations across the week were analysed and it soon became clear that 12pm onwards on a Thursday was the optimum time for tweeting; a top tip for all you would-be tweeters. Themed tweets and followers We found that having a themed tweet with corresponding imagery directed the audience in terms of topic, content and signposting. This daily framework gave the site a strong uniformity and structure, which we felt would be helpful to people with dementia and their carers. Our initial target audience was aimed at people with dementia and their carers. We did gain this following, but what was a welcome surprise was that we also gained a following of occupational therapists, occupational therapy students, and third sector and other allied heath professions and nursing professionals. Professional dialogue, and a sharing of knowledge as other professionals interacted with the site, meant that our tweets were potentially reaching and influencing more people living with dementia and their carers than we had previously foreseen. Our approach to education and prevention through Twitter is similar to the occupational therapy service delivery model of the ‘universal offer’ of prevention and early intervention, as outlined in the RCOT fact sheet Occupational therapy with children and young people (COT 2014). Therefore, in theory, our Twitter project gave us a new way of targeting a key group that may not have had the opportunity of receiving occupational therapy involvement, but also provided us with interesting analytics that allowed us to measure the impact of our social media resource. We are proud to have been involved in this project and wish it every success. The project now enters its next test of change as we see our fellow AHPs contribute their own professional advice within the maximising physical wellbeing and maximising psychological wellbeing themes. As the Occupational Therapy Scottish Dementia Working Group, we are considering how to develop the information gained in this project and increase our reach. See the box for our five top tips for using Twitter, and happy tweeting… References Alzheimer Scotland (2017) Connecting people, connecting support. Available online at: www.alzscot.org/ahp [accessed 30 January 2019] College of Occupational Therapists (2014) Occupational #dementia occupational therapy #WithOTuCAN therapy with children and young people. Updated April 2015. Available online at: www.rcot.co.uk/about- occupational-therapy/ot-evidence-factsheets [accessed 30 January 2019] The occupational therapists involved in the Twitter project are: @sammhahp, @carrieOTmh, @dorman_lynn, @AliAHPDem, @elaineahpmh and @juliebrownOT. Follow us on Twitter @AHPDementia Our five top tips to using Twitter 1. Have a vision and plan from the start 2. Keep the tweet real and offer practical advice 3. Work as a team and learn from each other 4. Engage and reply to comments 5. Start small, think big, and build your followers 40 OTnews February 2019

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