Increasingly, health care professionals are creating their own practice newsletters, which they mail or email to patients. These newsletters, often quarterly or monthly, help practitioners stay in touch with their patients between visits, and share important health information.
It's Easier Than You Think!
Creating a newsletter doesn't need to take a lot of time or money. A newsletter can simply be an introductory letter you've written, followed by, say, a fact sheet from the Foundation's "Aging in the Know" site, an AGS Tip Sheet, or a patient-friendly report on a new study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Include a couple of short reports on what's happening in your practice - reporting seasonal changes in office hours, for instance, or awards staff have won or research or projects they're undertaking - and your newsletter is done.
On the AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) site, www.healthinaging.org, you can find, among other things:
- patient-friendly brochures, handouts and fact sheets
- summaries, written in laymen's terms, of the very latest studies in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS)
How to Reference FHA Materials
We are pleased to provide AGS members with our materials for use in patient and public education in their practices and through media outreach. The resulting documents represent a consensus as to best practice in a particular area and are purposefully written in simple, easy-to-read language to achieve the lowest grade reading level possible. Publication space permitting, AGS members who are adapting FHA materials for use in their own efforts may choose to use the following citation:
Adapted from {name of resource} a public education resource provided by the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging. For additional easy-to-understand information about this and other health and aging topics, visit www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow.
Please note, we do not require that you specifically cite the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging in your columns and articles on aging topics.
Writing a Practice Newsletter Using FHA Materials
For your Summer newsletter, you write an introduction, modify the AGS "Hot Weather Safety Tips for Older Adults" Tip Sheet slightly and draft a second story on summer hours at your office. If you are participating in a conference or event that you think would be of interest to your patients, you could include a story on that event in your newsletter and we have provided an example as Story 3. In every issue, you should always include a box listing your address, phone numbers, and staffers.
Introduction
Hello!
It's nearly summer, a season when many of us take a bit of a break and slow down somewhat. (See, "New Summer Office Hours," p. 2).
Rising temperatures can certainly make you feel like taking things slower. And when they climb into the 90s, it's absolutely crucial that older adults avoid overexerting themselves take other precautions against heat-related health problems. Our first story, "Hot Weather Safety Tips for Older Adults," will tell you how to stay safe and cool when the mercury rises.
Best wishes for a healthy summer.
-- Drs. Baggins and Gray, and the Staff of Southbury Geriatrics
Story 1: Slightly modified version of "Hot Weather Safety Tips for Older Adults." Changes to Tip Sheet are underlined and in italics.
High temperatures and humidity can be dangerous, particularly for older adults. About 200 Americans die of health problems caused by high heat and humidity every year. And most of them are 50 or older.
Thanks to some of the physical changes that occur as we age, older adults can't cool down as well as younger ones. Just as important, older people may not feel hot when the temperature is dangerously high. They are also less likely to feel thirsty, even when they are almost dehydrated (which means that their bodies have lost dangerous amounts of water).
Heart disease, diabetes and some other diseases that are common among older adults can make it even more likely that they'll have problems when it's hot. So can certain drugs, including diuretics or "water pills," allergy and sinus medications, and drugs for depression and neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.
When temperatures hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit, caregivers should keep a close eye on older adults, and older adults:
- Should turn on the air conditioner or go where it's air-conditioned-a shopping mall, grocery store, a senior center, such as the Baldwin Community Center on Elm Street, a movie theatre, a museum, or a library, for example. (Fans aren't enough.)
- Should Not walk long distances, lift heavy objects, or do other strenuous things.
- Should drink lots of water and other clear drinks that don't contain alcohol or caffeine (these can "dry you out"). Remember: If your urine is a light yellow color, you're drinking enough water. If it's darker yellow, you need to drink more.
- Should take cool showers, baths, or sponge baths.
- Should wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Clothes made of lightweight cotton are a good choice.
- Should wear hats.
- Should stay out of the sun.
Story 2: Southbury Geriatrics' Summer Hours
Southbury Geriatrics' office hours will change slightly starting July 1. From July 1 through August 30, we will close at 3:30 p.m., rather than 5 p.m., on Fridays. This will not affect our availability in emergencies, however.
You will still be able to reach staff after hours by calling the office at 203-426-6286. Please follow the recorded directions.
Story 3: Dr. Baggins to Participate in White House Conference on Aging
Governor Jodi Rell has appointed Southbury Geriatrics' Dr. Bilbo Baggins as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. In all, 1,200 delegates nationwide will be selected to participate in this important conference, slated for December 11 - 14, in Washington, DC. Delegates will vote on resolutions and develop implementation strategies to be presented to the President and Congress to help guide national aging policies for the next decade and beyond.
In Every Issue: Include a Box listing your address, phone numbers, and staffers
Southbury Geriatrics
Bilbo Baggins, MD
Pippi Longstocking, MD
Dorian Gray, GNP
44 Winery Road, Suite 4 H
Southbury, Connecticut 06499
(203) 426-6286
