MDOA August Staff News

Welcome to the first edition of the MDOA Staff News, providing information on professional development opportunities, communications updates, department job postings, and other topics related to our work here at MDOA. Each month we'll also highlight an article supporting our mission, news on Baltimore happenings, and our "Pet of the Month." Feel free to submit your ideas for the newsletter (or photos of your pet) to Communications Specialist Sarah Asseng at sarah.asseng@maryland.gov. Enjoy!

SAGECare Training Due November 15th

Maryland Department of Aging is Hiring 

The Maryland Department of Aging is on the lookout for more talented and dedicated individuals to join our team. If you know someone who would be a great fit for one of the positions listed below, let them know this is an excellent opportunity to positively impact the lives of older adults in Maryland. Learn more about MDOA job opportunities at https://aging.maryland.gov/Pages/join-our-team.aspx. 

Current Open Positions: 

• Dept. of Aging - ​​Accountant II
• Dept. of Aging - Mobility Equipment Specialist - PTA/OTA/ATP (Administrative Officer II)
• Dept. of Aging - DME Program Services Coordinator​ **INTERNAL

Make Sure to Track Your MDOA Outreach Efforts & Submit Photos

The MDOA team has been doing a great job reaching out to our constituents, stakeholders, and partners through events, presentations, and webinars. Let's keep the momentum going! Make sure you regularly input your attendance and outreach efforts in our Outreach Tracker so we are aware of all the meaningful work you are doing.

Also, we want to promote your great work on social media so please take and share photos with us. If possible, provide names and titles of those in the photo as well as the context of the event or a proposed caption. Submit photos and captions to sarah.asseng@maryland.gov.

Photo Tips:

1. Clean your camera lens as smudges can distort your photo and decrease the quality.

2. Check your lighting. If possible, take your photos near natural light, but not directly in front of a window which will cause your subject to appear dark. It’s not a good idea to use the flash. 

3. Use the rule of thirds. Try not to position your subject directly in the center of the frame as there is usually too much blank space on top.

4. Take photos horizontally not vertically. It's much easier to crop a landscape photo and use it on social media platforms.

5. Don’t zoom. Try to move close to your subject. Zooming can cause the picture to look blurry or grainy and the quality can be too pixelated for social media. 

6. Tap on your subject to focus camera. After you frame your shot, before you touch the shutter button and take the picture, tap on your subject. This tells your phone where to focus so the image comes out sharp.

7. Shoot from different angles. This provides flexibility when choosing a picture.

8. MOST IMPORTANT: Always take more than one picture! This gives you a better chance of getting a great shot.

Mark, Jenna, Izzy, and Yolanda at the US Aging Conference in Tampa, FL.

Branded Presentation Templates

When you are preparing a presentation, maintaining the MDOA brand and vetted language is important. The Comms team has prepared many branded slides on a range of MDOA topics and talking points. All are available to use in your presentations and can be modified upon request. The preferred platform of the Comms team is Canva, but jpgs can be downloaded for use in other presentation platforms. If you would like help from the Comms team on creating slides and talking points for your presentation, please provide as much notice as possible. 

Tips in preparing a great presentation:

• Review available PowerPoint and Google Slides templates for prepared talking points on a range of MDOA topics. If you need help with creating something new, reach out to the Comms team with as much lead time as possible.
• Stick to the covers, backgrounds, fonts, and colors incorporated in the blank slides in each template. Use plain or industry-standard language and keep the content for each slide as brief as possible and visually appealing.
• Incorporate your oral presentation in the slideshow notes. Fact check everything. Then send to the Comms team for a review. Please provide as much lead time as possible

Update Your Email Signature Many MDOA staff recently lost the MDOA logo in their email signatures during an account cleanup by DoIT, and others are still using the old logo that states, "Changing Maryland for the Better." Please update your email signature with the following steps: Go to your email app and select Compose as if you were starting a new email. Click on the pen icon as if to insert your signature. Select Manage signatures at the top of the drop down list. The Settings page will open. Scroll down to the Signature section. Click on the broken image icon next to your name where the old logo used to be. Click Remove, then select the picture icon at the bottom of the window. Paste https://aging.maryland.gov/SiteAssets/Pages/AboutUsMDOA/DoL_primary_rgb_72ppi.png into the form field Click on the new logo and select Small from the popup window. Click (and drag) on the new logo so it is selected as you would select a line of copy, then choose the center alignment option from the alignment icon at the bottom of the window. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save Changes. You may need to refresh or log out and log back in to your email app to see the changes. Reach out to Coms Specialist Colleen Doyle if you need further assistance.

State Center Community Farmers Market Get fresh produce, local goods, and a hot lunch at the State Center Community Farmers Market! Located on the patio in front of 300 West Preston Street, the market runs every Wednesday from 10am - 2pm through September 25th. Click here for flyer.

Bike Baltimore Electric Starting in September, Baltimore residents can apply for vouchers ranging from $750 to $2,000 to purchase electric bikes through the Bike Baltimore Electric program. This initiative aims to promote environmental sustainability, equitable transportation access, and independence. Applications will be processed through a lottery system, with up to 50 residents expected to benefit.

Article Spotlight: 5 Fixes for Aging in America

The article 5 Fixes for Aging America from the Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine discusses strategies to address challenges posed by an aging population in the U.S. The five proposed solutions are:

1. See the Good in Aging

2. Build an Infrastructure of Care

3. Normalize Good Hearing

4. Foster Resilience at Every Age

5. Make Public Transit Work for All

These solutions aim to improve the quality of life for older Americans and address the growing demands on health and social care systems. Click here for full article. 

August Pet of the Month: Louie

Meet Louie, the charming furball of Sarah from the Comms Department! Louie is a true nap enthusiast, snoozing for an impressive 18-20 hours each day. When he's not catching up on sleep, he’s busy charming his way into extra treats—he's even managed to outwit everyone in his household to get fed three times in one day. Louie also delights in snuggling, watching neighborhood birds, and relaxing in his sunroom.

To submit your pet for next month's newsletter, please email Sarah at sarah.asseng@maryland.gov with the subject line: Pet of the Month.