Smoking is one of the world’s largest health problems, and it is prevalent in the Indian elderly population too. According to Smoke Free World, over 14% of the Indian population actively smokes. These figures are alarming and require us to generate awareness about how tobacco smoking poses serious health risks. This blog is our attempt to help seniors who are struggling to quit this unhealthy habit.
1. Help Them Avoid Triggers
For many seniors, stress, anxiety, and physical pain are common smoking triggers. Other triggers include stressful family situations, boredom, and too many caffeinated drinks. To avoid these triggers, try to engage your senior in distracting activities like watching TV or listening to music. Additionally, put away smoke-related items that might remind them of lighting up a cigarette. This includes ashtrays, lighters, and matchsticks.
2. Stock Up On Their Favorite Snacks
According to Smokefree.gov, consuming snacks such as chewing gums, nuts, candies, and crackers help smokers avoid cigarettes. It allows them to munch on something while addressing their oral fixation.
A large part of the Indian population has a sweet tooth, which triggers an increased desire to smoke. By avoiding overly sweet food items and excess alcohol consumption, individuals can breakfree from their related eating and smoking routines. Studies show that smoking affects your taste buds; hence, smokers tend to eat sweeter food items so that they are better able to taste them.
Quitting smoking is undeniably hard, but by improving your elderly loved one’s diet program, you can divert them from cigarettes toward healthier eating habits.
3. Introduce Them to Safe Cessation Aids
Seniors can benefit from smoking cessation aids. If your elderly loved one has a habit of smoking first thing in the morning, certain smoking cessation aids can help.
Nicotine gum is a form of therapeutic nicotine that helps smokers gradually reduce their addiction. Similarly, self-adhesive nicotine patches are used to release a steady amount of nicotine in a person’s body, reducing their desire to smoke a cigarette.
However, keep in mind that both these cessation aids must be adopted after a detailed consultation with the elderly person’s doctor.
In addition, support groups, alternative physical activities, board games, and technology can also help resist their urge to smoke.
4. Hire a Senior Home Caregiver
Explaining and convincing an elderly loved one to quit smoking can be challenging. With age, our loved ones tend to become more stubborn, irritable, and set in their ways. This is where a senior home caregiver can step in. Having a senior caregiver around will help your elderly loved one stay on top of their healthy routine. Even if they relapse, the caregiver motivates them by inculcating accountability and consistency.
Our Care Managers and caregivers at senOcare can be an excellent source of motivation, support, and continuous encouragement for your senior. A 24 hour care at home for elderly can offer services tailored to your senior’s needs.
Our holistic homecare packages are designed to help your senior loved one maintain a healthy lifestyle, engage in light to moderate workouts, and quit bad habits.
5. Forgive Lapses
If you notice an occasional slip, empathize with them and discuss how quitting tobacco has been positive for them and can benefit them in the long run. Avoid making them feel guilty which can ultimately lead to more smoking relapses due to increased stress and compromised self-esteem.
A senior homecare giver can assist them by maintaining a healthy routine, ensuring a balanced diet, and resisting tobacco cravings.
Hire the Best In-Home Care Services for Seniors
SenOcare offers comprehensive elder care services at home across multiple cities, including Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida. You can select from many care packages planned to support senior citizens. We also offer you an option to customize and modify a care package that meets your elderly loved one’s exact requirements.
Our extensive range of services include health and fitness, security and home maintenance, technology assistance, forms and filing, and more.
Call us today on +91 8800 003 046 or email us at [email protected] for more details.
