Educate on UV safety this July

Summer is officially here, bringing with it plenty of sunshine and opportunity for outdoor fun. It also offers a great opportunity to educate about sun safety.

July is UV Safety Month, an observance supported every July by the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Academy for Ophthalmology. Make plans to remind your community about the importance of protecting skin and eyes by applying sunscreen and wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats while spending time outdoors.

By raising awareness of the risks of sun damage and how they can be minimized, you’ll also be calling attention to your agency and its place as a health leader in your community. Here are some tips to help you get started.

• This is a slow time of year for most media outlets, so give them something to report on. Did you know that skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, accounting for nearly half of all cases in the United States? Partner with local dermatologists and organize a SPOT skin cancer screening event. A complete planning guide is available from the American Academy of Dermatology. Be sure to spread the word to local media well before the event. Offering to connect them with a skin cancer survivor before the event can help you get two stories out of the event — one before and one after. Don’t forget to make sure they know about your agency’s efforts to promote skin cancer awareness and help those who have the disease.
• Use social media to spread the word about sun safety and healthy skin. Fill your Twitter and Facebook feeds with helpful messages on this topic all month long. Link to healthy skin resources.
• Drop by all your local senior community groups this month with sunscreen or lip balm featuring your agency’s contact information. Hand these out along with copies of your marketing brochures. Give them to your referral sources, too. Call us at 866-232-6477 to learn more about available options.
• Find lots of free skin cancer and sun safety materials from the American Academy of Dermatology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Download, print and spread the word.
• Hydration is especially important during the summer. It not only will keep people healthy and feeling better, but will help keep skin from getting dry and scaly. Older people’s thinner skin and increased likelihood of certain health conditions leaves them more susceptible to this dryness. Print and distribute to your community dehydration flyers that also outline ways home care can help. 
• Download the “What’s Your UV IQ?” quiz made available by the US Department of Health and Human Services Department's Federal Occupational Health division. Print and staple it to copies of your marketing brochures. Leave these in area physician waiting rooms. 

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.