National PT Month is coming up in October

By the time they reach their golden years most adults will either find themselves facing a possible orthopedic procedure or recovering from one. Regaining a full range of motion after a surgery is often a painful and difficult undertaking especially for an older adult. It is a common practice for an orthopedic specialist to prescribe physical therapy as part of their post-surgery recovery plan.

Physical therapy is a treatment that helps patients reduce their pain and regain function without invasive procedures or habit-forming medications. Physical therapists (PTs) are trained and licensed medical professionals who work with patients that have physical limitations. Physical therapy helps patients improve their range of motion through hands-on treatments or guided exercises. Patients can receive treatment in a variety of settings that include skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and their home.

A PT diagnoses a patient’s physical abilities and tolerance through a standardized evaluation process. Once a patient’s performance level has been identified, their therapist will work with them and their caregivers to establish improvement goals. The PT will map out a treatment plan to achieve those goals based on several factors including patient prognosis.  

Some Standard Methods of Treatment Might Include:

• Guided Exercises

• Instruction on proper use of stabilizing equipment, such as a walker or a cane

• Proper transfer techniques

• Massage, ultrasound, or heat/cold treatments

• Proper techniques for stair climbing and traversing obstacles

October is the month to recognize the important work that PTs do and a good time to include information about your agency’s patient outcomes in your referral network marketing. Visit our Tag Web Store to stock up on your health care flyers customized with the physical therapy services your company provides.

Participation Ideas:

1. Consider sponsoring a community activity within your service area highlighting your PTs and the services they can provide.

2. Host a local PT clinic to raise awareness of the role physical therapy plays in pain management and restoring wellness.

3. Visit senior centers and provide workshops on maintaining mobility. Be sure to provide brochures about your agency and all of the health care services you can provide

Celebrate physical therapy’s role in home care this October!

When illness or injury begins impairing mobility and movement, physical therapy can provide huge benefits and greatly improve a person’s quality of life. In addition, effective physical therapy can often prevent common injuries and even eliminate the need for some prescription medications and surgical procedures.

October is National Physical Therapy Month. Make plans to celebrate physical therapists both in your community and within your agency.

• Honor your agency’s physical therapists on your company website. Include photos, a short bio, and a sincere message of thanks for all the work they do.
• Visit the American Physical Therapy Association’s Fit After 50 webpage and learn more about the importance of physical activity for older adults and how physical therapy can help them lead more active lives for longer.
• Physical inactivity contributes to disability and is a factor in millions of deaths around the world every year. It can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Organize a walkathon with proceeds going toward a local Meals on Wheels program and make your base of operations a local senior center or rehabilitation center. Be sure to have plenty of flyers available that promote your agency’s physical therapy services.
• Remind your community that you are never too young or too old to stay (or get) active. Just half an hour of moderate exercise a few times a week can make a huge difference to a person’s overall health. Visit a local assisted living facility and host a class on senior exercise. Individual components of this ready-made program also are sold separately. Call 866-232-6477 for details and pricing.
• Create a newsletter about the benefits of physical therapy (and occupational and speech therapy) and distribute it to your patients, former patients, referral sources and prospects. A ready-made newsletter personalized to your agency can make this a snap.

September Digest: Simple tips to get more referrals

Strokes kill more than 800,000 Americans every year, making this condition the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. A staggering 7 million people over age 20 in this country have had a stroke at some point in their lives. The seriousness of this condition underscores how important it is to get involved in raising awareness about strokes and how to prevent them. A perfect time to do that is Oct. 29, World Stroke Day. You not only may save lives through your outreach efforts, but you’ll be raising awareness of your stroke-specific medical services.

• Call on clinical referral sources in your community and sell them on your agency’s outcomes when it comes to providing care for stroke patients. Find great Patient Outcomes Brochures for the Physician at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. You can easily show off how you compare to your competitors when it comes to a variety of outcomes measures.
• The Patient Outcomes Senior Brochures are a natural companion to the physician brochures. They educate about stroke in easy-to-understand language. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
• While touting your outcomes to physicians, show them that patient education is a strong component of your home health program. Comprehensive Patient Education Guides for Stroke not only are an eye-catching example of your work, but they help patients get more involved in their own care, which improves outcomes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
• Distribute personalized stroke care flyers at community health fairs, libraries, senior centers and anywhere that seniors gather. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.

October is National Physical Therapy Month. It’s a great time to not only highlight the important work of your staff physical therapists, but to convey to referral sources how physical therapy and home care can improve the lives of their patients.

• Schedule meetings with the orthopedic surgeons in your area to show them how well your home health or private duty company can help improve the outcomes for their hip, knee and shoulder replacement patients. Leave them with a unique orthopedic rehabilitation brochure that outlines your company’s services for this as well as how your outcomes scores stack up against state and national averages. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. Companion brochures for patients are available at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
• You can’t say “thank you” enough to employees who are doing a great job and helping you have a successful business. Gove your physical therapy staff a little extra thanks with a mention in your company newsletter and a fun thank-you card with a little treat. Find the cards at www.tagwebstore.com/giveaway.php.
• Visit an assisted living facility and host a discussion on the benefits of physical therapy for a variety of common health concerns among seniors. Distribute informative flyers about physical therapy to the attendees. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• Promote your company’s hip and knee replacement recovery services at local health fairs. Distribute informative brochures about the procedure and how home care can help. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.

October is all about lung awareness – not only is October Healthy Lung Month, but Lung Health Day is Oct. 28 and National Respiratory Care Week Is Oct. 25-30. The number of Americans affected by lung disease is staggering. With about 158,000 deaths every year (more than prostate, pancreas, breast and colon cancer combined), lung cancer is the nation’s deadliest cancer. About 206,000 people are diagnosed with the condition each year. Additionally, about 10 million adults are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis each year, and about 4.7 million others have ever been diagnosed with emphysema – the diseases that make up Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). About 25 million people live with asthma. Take a stand for lung health and encourage your community to spread the word about lung disease.

• Use your agency’s COPD outcome scores to demonstrate to physicians your success at providing quality outcomes for certain conditions. Outcomes brochures for the physician detail the specific services you offer and display your outcome scores as compared to state or national averages. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. Companion brochures for patients are available at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
• Hospice agencies can visit with physicians and discharge planners to discuss when referral is appropriate for patients with lung disease/COPD. The hospice specialty care flyer, which includes easy-to-follow end-stage indicators, is a wonderful tool to clearly convey this message. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/hospice-specialty-care-flyers.php.
• Partner with physicians to improve hospice care for patients with COPD. The COPD hospice disease case study provides a specific patient scenario in which hospice referral would be recommended. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-case-study.php.
• Empower your COPD patients and improve your positive outcomes by providing them with COPD zone flyers that tell them when their symptoms indicate a call to their home health nurse is needed, and when it’s time to call 911. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php. Reminder stickers and magnets also are available at www.tagwebstore.com/zoneflyer-english-products.php.
• Show physicians you’re serious about giving patients an active role in managing their condition by using patient education guides, which are packed with guidance, tips, goals and logs. Be sure to take the guides along when you call on physicians to discuss potential referrals and the care you provide. Find guides for asthma and COPD at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.