Are You Trying to Convince Your Aging Adult to Quit Smoking?
December 8, 2017
Smoking is a habit that is pretty tough to get rid of, especially for older adults who have been smoking for a long time. If you’re still trying to convince your senior that smoking isn’t so great for her, she might be interested in some of these improvements she could see.
Her Entire Circulatory System Will Function Better
As your senior pumps less nicotine, tar, and smoke into her body, her entire circulatory system is able to go back to doing what it knows how to do. In the event that her circulatory system is strained, having to use less effort to function can be a huge improvement.
She’ll Be Less Likely to Suffer a Stroke or a Heart Attack
Because her circulatory system will be less strained, your senior is far less likely to experience a heart attack or a stroke. This is huge because the recovery time for either of these ailments can be excruciating. Talk to your senior and her doctor about her current risk for a stroke or heart attack. Her doctor can help you estimate how much that risk will improve without smoking.
She’ll Be Less At Risk for Cancer
Smoking is a risk factor for quite a few varieties of cancer, not just lung cancer. Quitting can reduce that risk dramatically, which is something that your senior definitely needs to think about. If there’s a family history of cancer, not smoking may still be able to improve that risk depending on the type of cancer and other variables.
She’ll Feel Better Overall
Once your senior quits smoking and her body starts to function better, she’ll be able to breathe better, sleep better, taste food differently, and all sorts of other improvements. Your elderly family member may even feel well enough to start exercising or make other healthy changes to her lifestyle. The bonus is how wonderful she’ll feel without all those chemicals in her body.
If your elderly family member is ready to quit smoking, talk to the people in her life about what they can do to help. Hiring elderly care providers to offer companionship and help your senior focus on other things besides smoking can really help.