10 Reasons Why You Should Quit Smoking Cigarettes

Saturday, November 19^th is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout event. Smoke from across the nation can use this day as a way to finally decide that they should quit smoking, or have it be the day when they actually quit. Either way, the goal is to create more non-smokers.

According to the CDC, as of 2014, approximately 17% of American adults smoked cigarettes. That equates to about 40 million adults. There have been many studies done showing the harmful effects of cigarettes, yet many adults continue to smoke.

With the Great American Smokeout just around the corner, we want to share 10 reasons why you should quit smoking cigarettes today:

1. The smoking rate has declined in the last 10 years; 21% in 2005 to 17% in 2014. More people realize the harm smoking does to their bodies.
2. Even with the drop in number of people smoking, almost 500,000 deaths each year can be attributed to smoking. This is 1 in every 5 deaths.
3. Smoking can hard almost every organ in your body and can cause many diseases.
4. Smoking is the cause of over a dozen cancers, including esophagus, lung, stomach, liver, kidney, cervix, bladder, colorectal and more.
5. Smoking causes 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths.
6. Smoking causes almost 2 dozen chronic diseases, such as stroke, cataracts, heart disease, pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, reduced fertility, arthritis and more.
7. Smoking may increase your risk of stroke and heart disease by 2 to 4 times.
8. Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers.
9. Within 2 to 5 years after you quit smoking your risk of having a stroke could fall to the same level as a nonsmoker.
10. Within ten years after you quit smoking your risk of lung disease drops by half.

If you haven’t seriously thought about quitting smoking in the past, now is as good a time as any. There are deadly consequences to people who continue to smoke. As each year goes by once you quit, you start to reverse the negative effects smoking had on your body. We have seen first-hand what a lifetime of smoking does to the health of a person. Use the Great American Smokeout event on November 19^th as your reason to quit.

At Assisting Hands^® Home Care, our goal is to provide our clients with the help they need to keep them safely in their own home for longer. Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, our at-home care can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100. To learn more about our in home senior care, click here.

4 Ways to Manage Chronic Pain

According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, 100 million Americans live with chronic pain every day. In fact, chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined! Older adults tend to be affected by chronic pain more than younger adults. These conditions may include migraines, low back pain, arthritis pain, and cancer pain and more. That is why it is important to talk pain awareness since September is Pain Awareness Month.

While some chronic pain may go away over time, other pain may not. Here are 4 things you can do to manage and relieve your chronic pain as much as possible:

• Learn.  Learn everything you can about your physical condition and why you have chronic pain. Through your research you may discover other traditional or non-traditional treatments that might help relieve your pain that you were not aware of before. Are there exercises you can do, even minimally, to help relieve some pain? Even if you do not discover something new, by knowing everything you can about your condition, you are putting yourself in a position where you know that you, and your healthcare providers, are doing everything possible.

• Be Realistic. Understand what you can and cannot do within your physical limitations. Don’t set a goal to run a marathon when you should only be walking. Don’t expect to play 18 holes if your back or shoulders aren’t ready for it. Also be realistic with your treatment. Based on the knowledge you gained when you learned all you could about your condition, you probably already know if your pain will subside over time or if you have to live with it forever. Don’t ‘hope’ it will go away. Hope is not a strategy. Make a realistic plan and do what you can to reach your goal.

• Relax. Pain can get worse when you are stressed out. Through visualization, yoga, deep breathing and other relaxation techniques, you can release some stress and hopefully some pain as well.

• See the Big Picture. Don’t just focus on the pain. Focus on all of the things you are able to do. As you put your plan in place to try to relieve some of your pain, you will regain control of your body, emotions and mental state. With more clarity, you will be able to determine how you can live a normal live even with your chronic pain.

The American Chronic Pain Association has much more information about pain and pain awareness.

At Assisting Hands® Home Care, our skilled caregivers help our seniors manage and/or reduce their pain based on the advice of the appropriate healthcare team. They will make sure their seniors are taking appropriate medication and doing exercises as instructed. Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, our at-home care can accommodate your needs. You will have peace of mind knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100. To learn more about our in home senior care, click here.

3 Ways to Protect your Loved One from Skin Damage

It’s summertime and you know what that means? Time outside enjoying the warm weather; shorts and flip-flops; bar-b-ques and cook outs! You know what it also means? Skin Damage!

We are in the time of the year when UV exposure is the strongest in the United States, which means you are more easily at risk for skin damage. Skin damage may lead to premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, age spots and possibly skin cancer.

You can damage your skin if you are out in the sun at any time of the year, so keep these 3 tips in mind in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from skin damage all year long:

•  Stay in the Shade. If you can find a shady spot for yourself of your loved ones, do it! This is most important during the middle of the day when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest. Keep in mind that UV rays reach the ground even on cloudy days, so just because the sun isn’t shining brightly doesn’t mean you let your guard down.
• Wear Protective Clothing. No one wants to be bundled up in the middle of summer when it is hot out, but if you or your loved ones will be outside, think about a light-weight garment to protect your skin from the sun, a hat and/or a pair of sunglasses. These items will all help to block the UV rays from your skin. Again, keep in mind that if you can see through the piece of clothing, so can the sun, so this will only provide partial protection.
• Use Sun Screen. Whether you are outside for an hour or all day, you should use sun screen. Since all sun screens are not created equal, make sure you buy one that blocks UVA and UVB rays, or broad spectrum sun screen. Even when sun screen is used, if you are in the sun you are still exposed to the sun’s rays, so you are not completely protected. Apply sun screen often and make sure to reapply after being in the water or sweating.

Don’t let the appeal of a summer tan cause irreparable damage to your skin that you will regret later. Take the appropriate steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from harmful UV rays.

At Assisting Hands Home Care we will make sure that your loved one is properly protected if he or she is outside. We provide them with safe transportation to and from doctors and other appointments, grocery shopping or other errands and make sure they are getting the appropriate nutrition and exercise that is appropriate for them. Whether you need someone to be with them during the day, in the evening or overnight, we can accommodate your needs. You will sleep better knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100.

3 Things to Look for When You See Your Dad

According to the latest CDC report on leading causes of death among males in the United States, the top two causes are heart disease and cancer. These two diseases make up almost a half of the deaths among males and are, by far, the biggest causes of death compared to any other diseases or accidents.

The CDC noted that heart disease kills 1 in every 4 men. Think about that statistic for a minute…1 in every 4 men will die of heart disease. How many men are in your family – your father, grandfather, uncles, or brothers? Based on this statistic, one of them will likely die from heart disease. In addition, half of the men who die suddenly from heart disease never had a symptom, even though they may have still been at risk. The biggest risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol and smoking. In addition, obesity, diabetes, lack of physical activity and excessive alcohol use are risk factors.

The National Cancer Institute identified several risk factors that, if avoided, may lower your risk of developing certain cancers. Like heart disease, potential cancer risk factors include smoking, obesity and excessive alcohol use, as well as diet, sunlight, radiation, and others.

What can you do to help prevent your loved one – and yourself – from developing these diseases? Try to reduce the risk factors. When you see your dad this Father’s Day, here are 3 things you can look for to see if he has these risk factors and help reduce them:

•             Check out your dad’s kitchen. Are there any fruits, vegetables, healthy grains or lean meat? Is the food fresh or is it expired? Take inventory and go shopping with or for him. If he doesn’t cook for himself and there is no one in the house to cook for him, prepare some meals ahead of time that you can bring with and put in the freezer. Make sure there are specific heating instructions on the containers so he knows how to heat the meal without zapping foil in the microwave or melting a plastic container in the oven. If your dad eats healthier foods, he should be able to reduce his weight, if that is a concern, lower cholesterol and possibly get diabetes under control.
•          Watch your dad.  Does he look like he has gained weight since the last time you saw him? Does he have a hard time going from a seated position to standing or is he off-balance when walking? Pay attention to the little things. He may need to get more physical activity to work on balance or reduce some weight. The combination of eating better and getting more exercise than what we’re used to can help us all feel better.
•           Check for bad habits. Is your dad a smoker or drinker? Smoking is a bad habit that needs to be given up, no matter what your age! That may not be so easy if your dad has been smoking for a long time or is very set in his ways. However, there are a variety of products and services available to help people reduce their nicotine intake and eventually quit smoking. Those may be options you can explore for your dad. If your dad is a drinker, do you know how much? Does drinking affect any medications he may be on? Excessive alcohol use is a risk factor for both heart disease and cancer, and can cause weight gain, mood swings, irritability, balance issues, forgetfulness and more!

In general, look and listen at your dad’s appearance and his surroundings. He was there for you to clean up wounds when you fell and kill spiders that you sure were going to ‘attack.’ Father’s Day is the perfect time to watch and learn from him, this time to help him!

At Assisting Hands Home Care we can provide your dad (or mom) with safe transportation to and from doctors and other appointments, grocery shopping or other errands. Whether you need someone to be with them during the day, in the evening or overnight, we can accommodate your needs. You will sleep better knowing that they aren’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100.