Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 J U LY 8 , 2 0 1 9 B Y M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N O N T H E R E C O R D Mainebiz: How did your path lead to what you're doing now? Diane Atwood: I left Mercy Hospital in 2011 to pursue a longtime dream of being a freelance writer. My plan was to write content for clients in the health care field. My daughter Katharine suggested that I start a blog to practice my writing skills and pro- vide a site for potential clients to visit. I had no idea what a blog was, but she set me up with one and suggested the name "Catching Health." e moment I started blogging, I was hooked. It was like being a health reporter again, only I was the boss. After a few years, I decided to work only on the blog, and in 2017 added a podcast. MB: What brought about your recent focus on aging? DA: I attended a conference on rural aging last fall. A major focus was on the prevalence of loneliness and isolation among older people. Maine has the old- est population, it's the most rural state, and 58% of Mainers over 65 live in rural areas. I wrote about the conference and couldn't shake the notion that, with my blog and podcast, I was in a position to possibly have an impact. I decided to do a special podcast series and travel throughout the state interviewing people 60-plus about their perspectives on aging. I call it "Conversations about Aging." I launched the series in February and it's been wonderful. I get to connect with people on a personal level and then share their stories and their wisdom. I always learn something important — such as that even when someone doesn't seem lonely, he or she might be. I hope others will learn from the conversa- tions, and that they will inspire a wider dialogue about how we view aging as individuals and as a society. MB: You blog, podcast and host a Facebook group — what does each bring as far as reaching an audience? DA: Obviously, I want my work to reach as many people as possible. Although I have followers around the globe, by choice, my primary audi- ence is in Maine. Because I was the health reporter on WCSH for more than 20 years, I have the benefit of a strong brand and name recogni- tion, but that only gets you so far. In order to reach a wider audience, whenever I publish something new on the blog I share the link on my "Catching Health" social media sites — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest. I also send out a weekly e-newsletter. My pod- cast is available on several major pod- cast networks, and for each episode I also write a post that includes addi- tional information, such as a tran- script and pictures. I started a private Facebook group as a complement to "Conversations about Aging." It's a great way to engage with people in a more intimate setting. MB: Do you have business? DA: I put a lot of time and effort into interviews, research and writing — it's a full-time job. ere are significant costs associated with building and maintain- ing a professional website. Now that I'm traveling around the state interview- ing people, I have additional expenses. I'm grateful to have financial support from some wonderful sponsors — Spectrum Healthcare Partners, Avita of Stroudwater, Stroudwater Lodge and Weight Watchers Maine. MB: What effect would you like your efforts to have? DA: I want what I do to make a differ- ence. ere's no better feeling for me than when someone takes the time to tell me that I have. Diane Atwood was a health reporter at WCSH Channel 6 for more than 20 years, then marketing and public relations manager for Mercy Hospital in Portland. She now is a full-time blogger and podcaster on health issues, with a focus on aging and isolation. Mainebiz caught up with her recently. B U I L D I N G O N OUR PROMISE. An alternative approach to expanding a historic Maine hospital. Our design-build team developed an innovative hybrid Butler pre-engineered building system to make this modern, 50,000 sf hospital addition a reality. W W W . S H E R I D A N C O R P . C O M G O O D A L L H O S P I T A L Sanford, Maine I hope others will learn from the conversations, and that they will inspire a wider dialogue about how we view aging as individuals and as a society. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Health reporter Diane Atwood in Portland.

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