Become an unexpected advocate for low-vision awareness

February is National AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month. According to the Macular Degeneration Association, about 9.1 million Americans over 40 have Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). It is the leading cause of legal blindness in those ages 65 and older.

Visit the websites for the Macular Degeneration Association and Prevent Blindness to learn more about vision problems and start forming your February outreach plans relating to this health observance. Becoming an unexpected advocate for low-vision awareness will help you stand out from other providers in your area.

The following tips can help you get started.

• Contact your local Lions Club and become an advocate for your area’s eyeglass recycling efforts. Distribute your vision health flyers to the club’s members.
• Seek out opportunities to distribute these flyers throughout your market. Make sure they state the benefits of your service relative to low-vision patient care.
• Partner with a local optometrist’s office to teach a class at a local senior support group or senior church group about the need for early macular degeneration detection. Get started with this great macular degeneration toolkit from the BrightFocus Foundation. 
• Private duty agencies call on local optometrist offices with a 3-hour meal preparation and safety supervision package of services for discharged patients with temporary vision impairment.
• Sponsor a class on the effects of macular degeneration and low vision at a local assisted living facility. Donate branded low-vision bingo cards or magnifiers to distribute at the event. TAG Partners can help you find the items you need. Call 866-232-6477 to get started.

January 2015: Happy New Year! Now let’s get moving.

The new year is finally here and it’s time to take a moment to refocus your vision for the year ahead. Get the year started off right with a strong plan for February’s marketing efforts.

February is American Heart Month. About 2,200 people die in this country every day due to heart disease and stroke. Become a community leader as you focus on heart education and advocacy.

• Visit https://www.tagwebstore.com/American-Heart-Month.php to check out the wide range of heart-related materials available for both patient and physician marketing and education.
• Volunteer to teach a community education class on heart health. Find a complete done-for-you Heart Health class and related materials at www.tagwebstore.com/startupkit-products.php.
• Use blood pressure logs to help patients stay on top of their condition while educating them about proper blood pressure tracking. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/bloodpressurelog.php.
• Give heart patients the ultimate tool to manage and participate in their care. Patient Education Guides will help patients cope with conditions such as CHF, Heart Attack, Hypertension and Stroke. Find them at  www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.

February also is National AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month. Spread the word about age related macular degeneration.

• Find Vision Health flyers at www.tagwebstore.com/AMD.php and distribute them at local physician waiting rooms.

Finally, February is Senior Independence Month. Highlight your agency’s efforts to help seniors continue living independently at home. We can help.

• Volunteer at a local senior center to teach a community education class. Relevant, done-for-you class topics include fall prevention, senior exercise programs, understanding medications and diet and nutrition. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/startupkit-products.php.
• Use our Patient Outcomes Brochures to highlight your fall prevention efforts and outcomes to local physicians and their patients. Show them just how well you can help keep their patients safe at home. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php and https://www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
• Visit senior centers, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and other communities and hand out senior fun packs to encourage continued socialization and engagement. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/seniorfunpack.php.