The year is halfway over and it’s time to start thinking about 2014. Home care and hospice-specific calendars educate about common conditions and keep your agency in front of referral sources, clients and potential clients all year long. Getting your calendars early means you’ll have them ready for distribution as fall creeps closer.
- Plan your outreach efforts for the second half of the year, including events and opportunities to distribute traditional wall calendars. Time-tested and durable, calendars will remind referral sources, patients and others about your services, and will make them aware of healthcare observances and any other dates that are important to your agency. Find them at: www.tagwebstore.com/homecare-calendars-topics.php.
- Hand out magnetic calendars personalized to your agency at health fairs, senior centers and all your educational events. Find them at: www.tagwebstore.com/magnetic-calendar.php.
Did you know that many seniors aren’t as protected against disease as they could be? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that only about 62 percent of people age 65 or older were vaccinated against pneumonia in 2011, and that figure dropped to rates of 40-47 percent among minorities. Vaccination rates were equally low for diseases such as tetanus, hepatitis B and shingles.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Commit to raising awareness about the importance of adult vaccination. It will improve your community’s health and show that your agency is a champion for senior health.
- Distribute mousepads that educate on seniors and immunizations to your referral sources. These mousepads come with 25 tear-away sheets and include a calendar, to-do list and your agency’s logo and contact information. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/mousepads.php.
National Safe at Home Week is Aug. 26-30. It’s an ideal time to get out into the community and educate about the potential dangers lurking in the place where people feel the safest: home.
- Distribute Home Safety flyers at health fairs and other community events. The flyers are personalized with your agency’s logo and contact information and include information on fall prevention, fire safety and general household safety. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
- Show your referral sources this month that you are committed to ensuring patient safety. Integrate patient education guides for fall prevention into your services for those at an elevated risk for a fall. The guides also are an eye-catching tool you can use to show referral sources how seriously you take this issue. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
- Host a free educational class at your area senior centers on the importance and basics of fall prevention. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.