Home Safety Month is coming up in June…

Take the opportunity now to furnish your referral network with home safety information.

Home Safety Month is good time to educate seniors on the importance of eliminating environmental hazards that could interrupt their long-term independence. While heart disease & cancer may be the leading causes of adult death in the United States, falls are the number one cause of injury related deaths for adults 65 and older.

Some accidents can be avoided with a little preparation and an in-home fall prevention assessment. This is a proactive approach to help older adults age in place by having their living environment evaluated for safety and ease of use. The Home Health community is an excellent resource for providing this service. Some common factors that can increase fall risk include:

• Medical impairment                       
• Muscle Weakness
• Poor Vision                                        
• Inadequate Lighting
• Improper Footwear                       
• Obstructed or Uneven Surfaces

Tips for safeguarding against falls:

• Remove tripping hazards like pet toys, throw rugs and cords.
• Declutter and create plenty of walking space.
• Use non-skid mats, hand rails and grab bars in the bathroom.
• Install railings on both sides of stairs and apply anti-slip treads to each step.
• Provide adequate lighting in every room and place night lights in halls and stairways.
• Make often-used items accessible without the use of a step stool or ladder.
• If necessary, use personal walking devices, such as a cane or walker, to aid in stability.

For more information on Fall Prevention visit the National Council on Aging website:  https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/

How you can participate:

• Visit your local senior care providers and supply them with informational brochures for their patients and caregivers.
• Distribute fall prevention information to local worship communities and offer to teach a class on safeguarding against avoidable in-home accidents.
• Arrange for your Occupational Therapists to lead a discussion group at senior centers in your area. Have them emphasize the importance of maintaining muscle strength and how low impact exercise and basic daily activities can improve mobility. Be sure to have plenty of swag on hand to distribute to the attendees.

For more ideas on branded Marketing materials visit our Web Store: www.tagwebstore.com

Prepare now for National OT Month approaching in April

April is National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month and a great time to highlight the Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy associates on your Home Health team. Recognize these vital professionals by celebrating their holistic approach to wellness that enable people to participate in the activities they want and need to do. These talented practitioners blend knowledge of the patient and their environment to help them live life to its fullest despite injury, illness, or disability. Their maxim is, not “What’s the matter with you?” but, “What matters to you?”

Common OT implements include, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.

Many Occupational therapists and occupational assistants specialize in geriatric care. They focus on re-teaching seniors the basic skills needed for daily activities like dressing, grooming, and cooking.  The OT process is to improve physical and mental abilities by therapeutically preforming everyday tasks.

Besides overcoming daily challenges, Occupational therapists generally recommend household modifications that can make their patients’ environment more accommodating. They simplify functionality within the home and train the family on how to better provide care while improving safety for everyone.

Standard OT Services:

•  Perform a preliminary evaluation with the care group to establish the patient’s goals.
•  Outline a strategy to accomplish patient goals and improve daily activity performance.
•  Teach simple techniques to make daily tasks easier.
•  Coach physical wellness through low impact exercise.
•  Provide helpful devices like bathtub benches, bed rails, and any other mechanisms that may help prevent falls.
•  Conduct evaluations to track patient progress.

Celebrate OT Month in your company:

•  Throw an OT Party and invite past patients to share their success stories and take lots of photos to share.
•  Use social media to highlight your Occupational Therapists and describe how essential OT is to Home Health care.
•  Host a Lunch & Learn for your referral sources to point out all of the services you offer your patients and seek feedback to improve your practice.
•  Put together an OT get together after work to facilitate team building and discuss the patients that have touched your heart.

Check out our online web store for materials to help promote your wellness message…

Plan for September: Living better through education

September is National Pain Awareness Month. According to the American Pain Foundation, about 50 million Americans suffer from persistent pain each year. What’s more, about one in three Americans lose 20 hours of sleep or more every month due to pain. Those in pain don’t suffer alone — their family members suffer, too. Commit to observing Pain Awareness Month by educating your community and helping them find ways to cope with the condition.

• Hospice agencies can distribute Pain and Symptom Logs to patients to help educate them and their caregivers about the importance of pain and symptom tracking. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/painsymptomlog.php.
• Ask your area pharmacists whether you can leave brochures at their counters about pain management and how your agency can help. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/brochure.php.
• Give patients who suffer from pain a durable Zone Flyer that clearly shows them what’s normal, what merits a call to your agency and what warrants a call to 911. Show your referral sources that you are using this handy tool to improve patient education and outcomes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php.
• Leave stacks of flyers about pain management, chronic pain or arthritis in the waiting rooms of local rheumatologists, internists and family practice physicians. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.

High cholesterol is a problem that plagues millions of Americans. In fact, about 71 million American adults (almost 34 percent!) have high LDL or “bad” cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This puts them at about twice the risk of heart disease as people with lower levels of the substance, and only about 1 in 3 adults with high LDL cholesterol has the condition under control. Do your part to increase awareness of this condition during September’s National Cholesterol Education Month.

• Host a free class for seniors on heart health or diet and nutrition. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• Visit with local internists, cardiologists and family practice physicians and ask to leave informational brochures about heart disease, stroke or diabetes at their checkout desk. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/brochure.php.
• Visit your area hospitals over the weekend and stock their waiting rooms (not just the main waiting room) with rack cards educating about heart disease, weight loss, and stroke — and how your agency can help. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/rack-cards.php.

National Rehabilitation Awareness Week is Sept. 15-21. Show your support for the rehabilitation professionals at your agency and in your community by taking part in this celebration sponsored by the National Rehabilitation Awareness Foundation.

• Call on orthopedic surgeons and leave behind tablet mousepads that educate about your agency’s physical therapy services. The mousepads include a 25-sheet tear-off pad for note taking. Find the mousepads at www.tagwebstore.com/mousepads.php.
• Educate your community about the benefits of physical and occupational therapy. Offer to stop in and give a short five-minute presentation about the benefits of physical and occupational therapy during this month’s meetings of your local rotary clubs, Lions Clubs, elected officials and other meetings that draw a large number of senior attendees. Be sure to leave behind stacks of physical and occupational therapy flyers. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
• Visit the offices of local neurologists and leave behind home care speech therapy brochures. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/speech-therapy-brochure.php.