Home Care and Men’s Health

June is Men’s Health month which means it’s time once again to emphasize how important it is for men to have an annual check-up. Men are traditionally more reluctant than women to see their doctor regularly. This may contribute to their higher death rate for most of the leading causes of death. There are various excuses that men give as to why they don’t or won’t see their doctor, but whatever the reason behind the avoidance, it’s a serious problem. Do your part as a health care provider to encourage men to be proactive when it comes to their health.

The leading death contributing diseases among men:

• Heart Disease

• Cancers

• Stroke

• COPD

• Diabetes

Plan June promotions that highlight the benefits of home health care. Home health care provides men rehabilitating from surgery, a stroke, or those suffering with a chronic health condition a more palatable health care alternative. There is something more appealing about receiving treatment in the comfort of your recliner.

Bringing health care to the patient removes much of the anxiety that comes with frequent visits to crowed clinics, long waits in dreary waiting rooms, and the logistical dilemma of figuring out how to get to and from appointments. These are real issues for aging men and women dealing with recurrent treatments.

Here are some ways your agency can promote Men’s Health and your Agency at the same time:

• Plan a Wear Blue day to show support for Men’s health. Provide T-shirt’s for your staff to wear during Men’s Health week June 10-16.

• Organize a softball tournament and invite your referral partners, the local Red Cross, community organizations and your and local Media stations to participate. Post about it on your social media outlets to attract a big crowd.

• Partner with your local big box home improvement store to sponsor a mini health fair on the Saturday before Father’s Day. Have print media on hand highlighting men’s health issues.

• Offer to give a short presentation at elementary schools in your service area. The younger a child is exposed to positive messages about doctors and nurses the more likely they are to not avoid them as adults. Provide some fun stuff for the kiddos and some information for their parents.

 Visit TAGwebstore for promotional products and print media to market your Home Health, Home Care and Hospice Agency. Learn more about Men’s Health Month at www.MensHealthNetwork.org.

June 2015: Celebrate and Educate

Happy birthday to you! Medicare turns 50 years old this July 30. Take part in the celebration of the national social insurance program for older adults. About 55.3 million Americans were covered by Medicare in 2013, and the figure is expected to rise as Baby Boomers continue reaching retirement age.

• Offer your patients a tool that will go everywhere they do. Give them a protective sleeve for their Medicare card that already includes a card with your agency’s name and contact information. It will keep their Medicare card safe and make it easy to refer to you when it’s time for home care. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/medicare-sleeve.php/.

• Host a class at your local library to help acquaint people in your community with Medicare. Be sure to also tell them about Medicare’s covered home care or hospice benefits and how your agency can help. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.

• Make sure your physician referral sources have an easy way to know what Medicare-covered services are available to their patients and Medicare’s conditions for payment. The physician pocket guide to Medicare tells them at a glance the services your agency provides and includes your telephone number for easy referral. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/pocket-guide-to-medicare.php.

There’s no mistaking that summer is here. It may be a quiet time when it comes to healthcare observances, but there still are plenty of ways you can keep your marketing efforts current.

We celebrate the independence of our nation on July 4, but it’s also a great time to celebrate the independence seniors in your community are maintaining with the help of family, friends and agencies like yours. Here are some things you can do to reach out to this vibrant community.

• Visit local senior centers and distribute Senior Fun Packs, which include playing cards and bingo cards personalized with your agency’s logo and contact information. This outreach out to those who are maintaining social activities such as senior center participation will pay off with enhanced awareness of your agency. Find the Senior Fun Packs at www.tagwebstore.com/seniorfunpack.php.

• Experts agree that one of the best ways to maintain mental acuity (and prolong independence) is by completing puzzles. Connect with seniors and raise awareness of your agency with puzzle books personalized with your logo and contact information. Display them in referral source waiting rooms. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.

• Plan a Fourth of July-themed event to celebrate the independence of your community’s seniors that also will help prolong their independence and increase your referrals. In addition to a light luncheon featuring ice cream, hot dogs and other summer treats, provide informative booths and educate attendees about an important Medicare benefit they may not realize they have: The Annual Wellness Visit, which includes a review of medical history and risk factors, and a personalized prevention plan. Have a clinician on-hand to perform the annual exams. Find a kit to help you plan and execute the event here: www.tagwebstore.com/annual-wellness-visit-kit.php.

Sandwich Generation Month takes place this July. Join thousands of organizations and communities around the country in recognizing and raising awareness about the Sandwich Generation – the generation of adults who are caring for their children as well as their aging parents. Learn more about it at the sponsor organization’s website www.sandwichgenerationmonth.com/.

• Take part in community health fairs this month and stress the importance of supporting these caregivers. Have plenty of agency marketing brochures on hand. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/marketing-brochures.php and www.tagwebstore.com/faq-brochures.php.

• Sign up to speak about the sandwich generation at the community meetings of various local elected officials and local community groups. Educate them about how your agency can help those with a variety of conditions and ease the burden on their caregivers. Find disease-specific flyers at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.

• Visit with your referral sources and stress the assistance your agency can provide family caregivers when a loved one has a serious illness or injury. Show them that one of the tools in your caregiving arsenal is zone flyers, which help improve positive outcomes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php.

May 2014: Raise your profile with health observances

Advances in technology and treatment options mean people diagnosed with cancer have better odds of survival than ever. Join the cancer community in celebrating life after a cancer diagnosis this National Cancer Survivors Day on June 1, 2014. Show your support for increased cancer education while also educating people about ways home care can help.

• Contact the local office of the American Cancer Society and offer to organize a bake sale, sidewalk sale or other charity event to benefit the organization. Be sure to have plenty of informative materials available that educate about cancer. Find personalized agency flyers about cancer at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• Home care agencies should provide oncologists with brochures that discuss the benefits of home care for cancer patients. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.
• Give cancer patients a comprehensive guide to assist them as they cope with treatment. Find a patient education guide for cancer with chemotherapy/radiation at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.

National Safety Month takes place each June and it’s a great opportunity to reach out to your community and educate on home safety and how your agency can help. The National Safety Council-supported observance is an effort to educate people and influence their behaviors in relation to the top causes of preventable death and injury. Here are some things you can do to participate.

• Stock physician waiting rooms – especially those of orthopedic specialists – with flyers about home safety. Be sure to include information about your agency’s fall risk assessments. Find the flyers at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• Host a free educational class at your area senior centers on the importance and basics of fall prevention. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• Show your referral sources this month that you are committed to ensuring patient safety. Integrate patient education guides for fall prevention into your services for those at an elevated risk for a fall. The guides also are an eye-catching tool you can use to show referral sources how seriously you take this issue. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
• Health and safety go hand in hand. Give patients a powerful tool to track their health records, including medications, immunizations, blood sugar and more. Health Logs will go everywhere they go and will keep your agency top of mind. Distribute them to your both your clients and prospective clients. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/healthlog.php.

June is Men’s Health Month and National Men’s Health Week is June 9-15, 2014. Stand up for the men in your community and remind them that when they improve their health, they improve not only their own lives, but the lives of everyone they care about. Focus efforts this month on educating about health issues that particularly affect men. Consider this: According to the Centers for Disease Control, women are twice as likely as men to visit the doctor for annual exams and preventive services.

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing 307,225 men in 2009 – one in every four deaths! Volunteer to teach a free class on heart health at a local Lions Club, Kiwanis Club or VFW.  Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• Take part in community health fairs this month and hand out flyers about topics such as prostate cancer, high blood pressure, medication management and pain management. Find them www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• About 67 million American adults (one-third of the population!) have high blood pressure, a condition that contributes to heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Distribute blood pressure logs to the offices of general practitioners and internists to give to their patients with elevated blood pressure. The logs provide a consistent way to get attention for your agency while helping potential patients manage their condition. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/bloodpressurelog.php.
• It’s time to think about doing something big. Plan an event to educate your community’s men (and women) about an important Medicare benefit they may not realize they have: The Annual Wellness Visit, which includes a review of medical history and risk factors and a personalized prevention plan. Provide snacks, informative booths and access to a clinician to perform the annual exams. Find a kit to help you plan and execute the event here: www.tagwebstore.com/annual-wellness-visit-kit.php.

Plan for July: Independence and Prevention

There’s no mistaking that summer is here. It may be a quiet time when it comes to healthcare observances, but there still are plenty of ways you can keep your marketing efforts fresh and relevant.

We all celebrate the independence of our nation on July 4, but it’s also a great time to celebrate the independence seniors in your community are maintaining with the help of family, friends and agencies like yours. Here are some things you can do to reach out to this vibrant community.

• Visit local senior centers and distribute Senior Fun Packs, which include playing cards and bingo cards personalized with your agency’s logo and contact information. This outreach out to those who are maintaining social activities such as senior center participation will pay off with enhanced awareness of your agency. Find the Senior Fun Packs at www.tagwebstore.com/seniorfunpack.php.
• Experts agree that one of the best ways to maintain mental acuity (and prolong independence) is by completing puzzles. Connect with seniors and raise awareness of your agency with puzzle books personalized with your logo and contact information. Display them in referral source waiting rooms. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.
• Plan a Fourth of July-themed event to celebrate the independence of your community’s seniors that also will help prolong their independence and increase your referrals. In addition to a light luncheon featuring ice cream, hot dogs and other summer treats, provide informative booths and educate attendees about an important Medicare benefit they may not realize they have: The Annual Wellness Visit, which includes a review of medical history and risk factors, and a personalized prevention plan. Have a clinician on-hand to perform the annual exams. Find a kit to help you plan and execute the event here: www.tagwebstore.com/annual-wellness-visit-kit.php.

The summer sun greeting us every day is an important reminder about another important observance in July: UV Safety Month. Join the American Academy of Ophthalmology in raising awareness about the dangers posed by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. After all, it the cause of the most common type of cancer (skin cancer) and also contributes to wrinkles and other skin problems.

• Spread the word about the importance of skin care by distributing skin care flyers at health fairs and farmers markets this July. Find the flyers at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• Distribute personalized hand fans at local bus shelters near shopping malls, grocery stores, senior centers and other areas with high senior traffic. The fans can help people cool down or block the sun’s rays. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/hand-fans.php.
• Hydration plays an important role in skin health. Distribute personalized water bottles to your patients. It’s an item they will use again and again, and something they will keep long after discharge. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/water-bottles.php.

July also is Eye Injury Prevention Month. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly 27 percent of eye injuries are in those ages 46 and older. What’s more, falls in the home are a significant cause of these injuries. Educate seniors about the importance of preventing falls, which can prevent eye injuries, broken bones and a host of other problems.

• Host a free class on fall prevention at a local library or senior center. Find a ready-made class atwww.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• Show physicians that you’re serious about keeping their patients safe with your comprehensive fall prevention efforts. Patient education guides show that you are empowering patients to take an active role in their care. Improve your outcomes in the process. Find the guides at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
• Speaking of outcomes … Use your own outcome scores to demonstrate why your agency should be trusted to assist a patient at increased risk of a fall. Our Patient Outcomes Brochures for Physicians highlight the work you do to prevent client falls and include eye-catching graphs that display how your agency compares to the state and national averages. Use these along with our Patient Outcomes Brochures for Seniors, which provide useful information to potential clients about how you can help them prevent falls. Find both brochures at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php and www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.

Plan for June: Health and Safety

National Safety Month takes place each June and it’s a great opportunity to reach out to your community and educate on home safety and how your agency can help. The National Safety Council-supported observance is an effort to educate people and influence their behaviors in relation to the top causes of preventable death and injury. Here are some things you can do to participate.

• Host a free educational class at your area senior centers on the importance and basics of fall prevention. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• Show your referral sources this month that you are committed to ensuring patient safety. Integrate patient education guides for fall prevention into your services for those at an elevated risk for a fall. The guides also are an eye-catching tool you can use to show referral sources how seriously you take this issue. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
• Stock physician waiting rooms – especially those of orthopedic specialists – with flyers about home safety. Be sure to include information about your agency’s fall risk assessments. Find the flyers at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• Health and safety go hand in hand. Give patients a powerful tool to track their health records, including medications, immunizations, blood sugar and more. Health Logs will go everywhere they go and will keep your agency top of mind. Distribute them to your both your clients and prospective clients. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/healthlog.php.

June is Men’s Health Month and National Men’s Health Week is June 10-16. Stand up for the men in your community and remind them that when they improve their health, they improve not only their lives, but the lives of everyone they care about. Focus efforts this month on educating about health issues that particularly affect men. Consider this: According to the Centers for Disease Control, women are 100% more likely to visit the doctor for annual exams and preventive services than men.

• Take part in community health fairs this month and hand out flyers about topics such as prostate cancer, high blood pressure, medication management and pain management. Find them www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• About 67 million American adults (one-third of the population!) have high blood pressure, a condition that contributes to heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Distribute blood pressure logs to the offices of general practitioners and internists to give to their patients with elevated blood pressure. The logs provide a consistent way to get attention for your agency while helping potential patients manage their condition. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/bloodpressurelog.php.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing 307,225 men in 2009 – one in every four deaths! Volunteer to teach a free class on heart health at a local Lions Club, Kiwanis Club or VFW.  Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• It’s time to think about doing something big. Plan an event to educate your community’s men (and women) about an important Medicare benefit they may not realize they have: The Annual Wellness Visit, which includes a review of medical history and risk factors and a personalized prevention plan. Provide snacks, informative booths and access to a clinician to perform the annual exams. Find a kit to help you plan and execute the ev