Tips for Helping Your Loved One Quit Smoking

By Marlene Diaz | December 30, 2016 |

Home Health Care Gig Harbor WA

January 11, 2017 is Cigarettes are Hazardous to Your Health Day. As a family caregiver this is the ideal opportunity for you to approach your senior about their cigarette smoking and start taking steps to help them quit. This not only can help to prevent serious illnesses and health complications in them, but in you as well. Secondhand smoke is extremely dangerous and can put you at increased risk of a wide variety of health concerns, including cancer. By working on this journey together you can make starting a healthier lifestyle easier, less stressful, and more beneficial for your aging parent.

Use these tips to help your loved one quit smoking:

• Talk to their doctor. Quitting smoking, while beneficial, is a tremendous change, especially if your aging parent has been smoking for many years. This can be stressful on them and it is important to do whatever you can to help reduce this stress and make the experience easier for them. Talk to their doctor about how you can help them quit, what methods you should try, and how quitting could impact their health so that you can help to counteract any potential issues.

• Show compassion. Smoking is an unhealthy habit, but that does not mean that quitting is easy. This can be a very difficult transition for your aging parent, and the support and emotional encouragement that you give them will make all the difference when it comes to helping them get through to their new, healthy chapter.

• Go gradually. Going “cold turkey” might work for some people, but the truth is that most people require more of a gradual change when it is something as dramatic as quitting smoking. Encourage your parent to choose a date when they want to be a “nonsmoker” and then work toward it. Help them to see that each time they do not smoke a cigarette it is a small victory that is protecting their body and improving their health.

If you are looking for ways to help your elderly parent enjoy a healthier lifestyle as they age in place, starting home health care for them might be the ideal solution. An in-home senior care services provider can make a tremendous difference in your parent’s ability to live healthier, stay safer, and enjoy more independence and fulfillment throughout their later years. Their highly personalized services are designed specifically to address your parent’s individual needs and challenges while also taking into account their personality, beliefs, thoughts, and goals, ensuring that they are always getting the type and level of care, support, and assistance that they desire and deserve.

When it comes to helping them overcome lifestyle issues such as tobacco use, this home health care provider can help your parent understand the risks that they are facing, the guidelines that their doctor has given them, and the benefits of making better choices. They can then guide them in following through with these guidelines so that your parent can improve their health and enjoy a higher quality of life throughout their later years.

Sources: https://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/health-effects/smoking-health/
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Health Care Services in Gig Harbor WA, contact the caring staff at Hospitality Home Care today. Call us at (206) 966-6552.

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Marlene Diaz

Care Supervisor at Hospitality Home Care

Marlene brings to Hospitality Home Care's Care Supervisor Team an unprecedented level of passion for caring for others and a wealth of knowledge and understanding in the care services field. Marlene has worked in the healthcare field for more than 15 years in a variety of settings including, adult family home administration, home care HR supervising and working with specialty populations including dementia, mental health and developmental disabilities. Throughout this time Marlene has also maintained her caregiver credentials that she obtained as a teenager because, while her knowledge is best served helping to train caregivers and assist families to get the care they need, her heart is most fulfilled when she is providing care to others. When she is not in the office, you will most likely find Marlene caring for her family, or spending time with her friends.