Promote Awareness among Potential Consumers
The key to successfully educating consumers is capturing community interest with programs and materials that are informative, well targeted, and fulfill a consumer need.
Here are some ideas designed to target and educate consumers:
- Host an open house to bring new people into your office and to provide you with the opportunity to answer questions they may have about home care.
- Send informational press releases to your local newspapers.
- Display banners and billboards throughout your community.
- Work with your local public libraries to feature books and other educational materials about home care.
- Distribute brochures, fliers, and posters about home care services to local businesses.
- Provide create videos describing home care services and make them available on your website, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.
- Send your favorite home care stories to IAHC to be considered as a featured story in the newsletter, webpage, Facebook, and Twitter.
Show Appreciation for Staff and Volunteers
Home care wouldn’t be what it is today without the wonderful staff and volunteers. Celebrate by recognizing and letting these important people know how much you appreciate the physical and emotional support they provide for patients and their families.
Following are some easy ways to say "thank you:"
- Consider honoring the different types of home care providers and their areas of specialty on specific days or weeks in November.
- Ask patients and their families to sign a giant "thank you" card for staff and volunteers.
- Post a message in your company's e-mail system and on its paycheck stubs or envelopes thanking your staff and wishing them a happy home care month.
- Create an in-house bulletin board profiling each of your employees and volunteers.
- Host an "Employee and Volunteer of the Year" awards event, recognizing the top staff members from each division of your organization.
- Host a breakfast, luncheon, picnic, or banquet honoring all of your employees and volunteers. Invite patients and their families, public officials, and your board of directors to come and show their appreciation.
Strengthen Relations with Physicians and Other Referral Sources
National Home Care Month is an excellent time for you to promote greater awareness of your services and understanding of home care among local physicians and other referral sources. This target audience includes private third-party payers, government agencies, and health facilities and professionals.
- Distribute home care informational packets to all appropriate physicians.
- Work with teaching hospitals to develop a home care rotation.
- Encourage the establishment of a home care residency program to help new physicians learn more about and gain a greater appreciation for the role of home care providers.
- Members of the clergy can also be vital referral sources. Host a clergy day during which you invite members of the clergy to your offices to learn about home care and the services you provide.
Gain Support from Public Officials
One of NHM's objectives is to educate public officials about the home care community's compassion and dedication to quality care. Officials need your feedback as they look for ways to develop new systems that will address the growing needs of their constituents.
The best way for getting the support of your elected official is to take them on a home care visit. Click here for more information about taking your legislator on a home care visit.
Honor Patients and Their Families
National Home Care Month also provides you with the opportunity to honor the people who need your organization's support and appreciation most-patients and their families.
Here are ways to show them you care:
- Create a scrap book for your patient. Include pictures and stories you’ve shared together on a home care visit. Tell them why you have enjoyed spending time with them.
- Cater a special meal for your patients, incorporating their favorite foods.
Anything Else!
We encourage you to celebrate National Home Care Month any way you want. Be sure to let us know what you have done to celebrate!