National Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 11-17. It’s an easy opportunity for home health care and hospice providers to tout their services while promoting patient safety. You not only will promote yourself as a credible resource for patient care, you will be improving the overall health of your community.
Here are some great tips to help you get started.
- Visit the United for Patient Safety website to learn more about the observance and ways you can kick-start your company’s efforts.
- Don’t forget to download their free campaign materials, including posters, table tends, and more.
- Home health and home care providers, highlight your fall prevention efforts and promote your fall prevention assessments and services.
- Arm yourself with statistics from the National Council Aging on seniors and falling and then contact your local TV news media. Let them know that even though one-quarter of all older Americans will fall each year, they are not an inevitable part of aging. Tell them about your fall prevention efforts and offer to discuss fall prevention and the elderly on their morning or afternoon news programs.
- Visit independent living facilities in your area and host a class on senior safety. Focus on medication safety, fall prevention and family caregiver safety. Be sure to hand out flyers and that highlight your agency’s services to those in attendance. Branded night lights are another great handout that will help increase their home safety while subtly reinforcing your brand message.
- When you visit with physician referral sources during the observance week, be sure to take along your fall prevention patient education guide to illustrate how seriously you take your patient care partnerships.