Celebrate senior independence this July 4

Maintaining the independence they’ve enjoyed their entire lives is one of the most important goals for many seniors. This Independence Day, celebrate more than the birth of our nation. Celebrate the great strides your community’s seniors have made in maintaining their independence — and show them what you can do to help.

• Studies have shown one of the best things a person can do to maintain health and independence throughout life — and especially during older age — is to engage in regular physical activity. Learn more about the amount of physical activity recommended for older adults in this CDC physical activity information sheet. Sponsor a fitness activity at your favorite local senior centers and encourage the attendees to make an effort to get more physical activity, such as walking, in their everyday routines.
• Call your local VA hospital and offer to sponsor a local talent and patriotic musical event. Include sing-alongs, skits, and musical performances. Use this as a great opportunity to get to know the decision makers at this hospital a little better.
• Challenge your community’s seniors to exercise their mental and competitive skills by hosting a patriotic trivia contest. Topics can include the Fourth of July, civics, modern government, or wars such as WWII, Vietnam, and the conflicts in the Middle East. Find facts and quizzes here and here.
• Sponsor a Stars and Stripes dinner dance for all your referral sources by teaming up with a local senior center. Offer other non-competing healthcare providers the opportunity to play a role in the event — it could become an annual community celebration!
• Take strawberry, vanilla and blueberry ice cream to a local assisted living facility and deliver a quick 30-minute presentation on identifying and avoiding depression. Find helpful information here or use this ready-made class on depression that a non clinician can present.
• Offer to chaperone and assist with SNF or LTC residents who want to attend a local fireworks display. Attending a July 4 fireworks display is fun and requires very little physical activity. Some events are even accompanied by orchestra concerts or other musical performances.

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.