I have a friend who happens to be a private caregiver in another state, and she has been providing transportation assistance to a senior lady who retired from driving more than a year ago after crashing her car for the fourth time. Let’s just say, my friend is this senior’s personal Lyft!
Anyway, on one occasion when my friend was driving the senior to her twice-weekly hair appointment, the woman confided with a chuckle, “I’m lopsided! I forgot to put a sock in my bra!”
My friend knew the woman was a breast cancer survivor because she had taken the woman to her oncology appointments, mammograms, and specific scans that were required annually. What she didn’t realize until that moment, however, was that the woman had undergone a single mastectomy as a senior, and she’s still a vital breast cancer survivor who is living her best life semi-independently!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is why I wanted to share this story as a measure of hope for seniors with breast cancer, and a means of encouragement for seniors and aging women to use best practices in breast cancer prevention and detection.
“In Illinois, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women,” according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
Additionally, the incidence of breast cancer in Illinois women increased from 127.1 per 100,000 in 2008 to more than 132.0 per 100,000 in 2017, and even more recent statistical data shows another increase to 133.7 in 2018. This places Illinois as one of our nation’s highest-ranking states for breast cancer cases.
These stats represent why prevention and detection are so very important when it comes to breast cancer and women in Illinois!
IDPH agrees, “Screening for breast cancer is recommended for women ages 40 to 74 years.”
Of course, women and men alike should perform breast self-exams regularly to check for lumps or physical changes to the breasts. In addition, clinical exams during routine physicals are commonly performed by doctors to feel for lumps or other changes.
More in-depth medical breast screenings include mammograms (an X-ray of the breast), and MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exams which may be ordered for women at higher risk or with dense breast tissue.
IDPH says that women at high risk of breast cancer may choose preventative medications or surgery to remove healthy breasts to reduce their risk.
Lifestyle factors that can lower a person’s risk for breast cancer include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight and diet
- Getting regular exercise
- Not drinking alcohol or limiting the number of drinks consumed
- Having a discussion with a physician about the benefits and risks of taking hormone replacement therapy
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with breast cancer, a variety of treatment options may be available, depending on the stage of the cancer and when it was detected. I strongly urge you to consider all of the treatment options that are available to you.
I realize that many seniors are not financially stable, or perhaps they are unable or unwilling to undergo treatment for breast cancer due to their age.
Thankfully, there is a program to help the financially stressed and underserved with FREE breast and cervical cancer screenings throughout our area. The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program offers free mammograms, breast exams, pelvic exams, and Pap tests to eligible women in Illinois, without insurance, 35 to 64 years old.
The bottom line is that prevention and detection are vital to achieving successful outcomes when it comes to breast cancer. If you or someone you love is dealing with the perils of breast cancer, my Home Helpers® team of highly trained and skilled caregivers can provide many levels of in-home care services and safe transportation assistance to and from doctor appointments.
I gladly offer a FREE Consultation to assess specific circumstances and review the best in-home care services Home Helpers can provide. This will allow me to customize a comprehensive care plan that fits the individual’s particular needs and choose the perfect caregiver to make life easier for everyone’s peace of mind.
Home Helpers® Naperville & Wheaton is proudly Making Life Easier℠ for veterans and those with disabilities, illness, or recovering from injury or surgery in Aurora, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estate, Roselle, Itasca, Medinah, Naperville, Plainfield, Schaumburg, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton, and Winfield. Our team is honored to have received the Home Care Pulse – Best of Home Care® Leader in Experience, Provider of Choice, and the Employer of Choice Awards 2022, as well as the 2022 Super Star Award from Caring.com. Contact our award-winning team today if we can help make life easier for you or a loved one, please call today: 630.800.3837
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