Healthy Weight Week is a marketing opportunity you may be missing

Although thoughts at the start of the year always turn to dropping a pant size or two, we should all be focusing on health instead of appearance. Promote healthy living this Healthy Weight Week (Jan. 17–Jan. 23) and Women’s Healthy Weight Day (Jan. 28).

Increasing your involvement with educational campaigns such as this is a great way to expand your community presence while also spreading the word about home care.

Here are some easy things you can do to get started:

• Sponsor a healthy recipe contest in your community’s senior centers, ILFs, ALFs and among your clients. Encourage seniors and facility staff members to submit their favorite healthy recipes. Offer a small prize to the person with the tastiest recipe and make the recipe booklet available to this community in print or online. Don’t forget to include your agency’s services and contact information.

• Offer to host a diet and nutrition class for seniors at a local senior center or library. Here’s a ready-made class that a non-clinician can present.

• Approach local senior church groups with hosting a healthy potluck supper in which seniors can participate in a discussion and class on how obesity among the elderly is especially dangerous to their general health.

• Private duty agencies call on bariatric clinics with specialized 3- or 4-hour post-surgical service packages for newly discharged surgical patients that include light housekeeping and meal preparation.

• This Women’s Healthy Weight Day, organize a short community walk to encourage local senior ladies to get some exercise and maintain their health. Encourage caregivers to get involved, too. Provide healthy treats like fruit at the end of the event.

Plan for December: Get ready for the New Year and start 2014 with a focus on wellness

We all know that maintaining a healthy weight is about more than just looking good – it’s about feeling good and leading a healthy life. Healthy Weight Week is Jan. 19-25, and it’s an ideal time to remind seniors that a eating well and maintaining a healthy weight can help them avoid or lessen complications from many illnesses and live a more active life. Focus on education as you kick off the year, and show the community your passion for health.

• Participate in community health fairs this month and distribute disease information brochures about diabetes and rack cards about weight loss. Don’t forget to have plenty of agency marketing brochures on hand, too. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php and www.tagwebstore.com/rack-cards.php and www.tagwebstore.com/faq-brochures.php.
• Host a community education class about diet and nutrition at an area senior center or senior-focused church group. Find a done-for-you class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• Replacing sugary drinks with cool, healthy water is a great way to improve hydration and facilitate weight loss. Distribute water bottles personalized to your agency to your new clients to help them achieve their goals. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/water-bottles.php.

Some of our strongest partners in providing comprehensive health care to seniors are pharmacists. National Pharmacist Day is Jan. 12. Take the time to educate pharmacists on ways your agency can help customers who might need help adhering to their medication regimen or who may be at risk of harmful complications. Be sure to recognize them for all the work they do.

• Call on your local pharmacists and give them a playful card that thanks them for their hard work. Include a small treat with the card. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/giveaway.php.
• Be sure the pharmacists in your area receive a copy of your agency’s home care calendar. Encourage them to display it in an area where they and their customers will see it often. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/homecare-calendars.php.
• Leave stacks of your agency’s rack cards about issues common among seniors at your local pharmacy counter. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/rack-cards.php.

New Year’s Day is only days away. It’s time to plan your marketing for the year and make sure you’re increasing your presence in your community. Effective marketing strategies are the key to keeping your agency’s name top of mind and ensuring you’re the agency of choice when it’s time to make a referral.

• Contact local senior centers, assisted living facilities, church groups, retirement groups and other local groups with a large senior attendance. Work out a schedule for your agency that will allow you to regularly reach out to these groups by hosting a series of community education classes. Find done-for-you classes that don’t require participation by a clinician, complete with handout and promotional materials at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• As you craft your marketing plan for the year, use the power of variable data campaigns to get a specific message to a specific audience. Reach seniors, referral sources or potential employees – all by name – with a personal message that is relevant to each. Learn more at http://itargetcampaigns.com/.