Comfort Keepers In-Home Care Services in The Villages, FL: Understanding Breast Cancer

Do you worry about whether your senior loved one is keeping up with their annual screenings? Comfort Keepers In-Home Care Services in The Villages, FL offers the following advice!

Breast Cancer And Its Prevalence In The US

Breast cancer is prevalent in the US and as of 2017, there were more than 3 million survivors. That is a shocking number, especially when you think of how many people it truly effects. For the past few decades, leaps and bounds have been made when it comes to breast cancer awareness and education. You see and hear more about it and organizations have stepped up and shown their support. While we know that early detection is key to a good prognosis, not everyone understands what the risks of breast cancer are or what can be done to increase your chances of early detection. Fortunately, the Comfort Keepers in-home care service teams are ready to help your loved one better understand what breast cancer is and how to identify it.

Breast Cancer And The Risk Factors

Breast cancer is a mass of cells that have grown unsuppressed. Once the cells start to multiply in the breast tissue, a tumor is formed. This tumor can either be cancerous or non-cancerous. To learn whether or not a tumor is cancerous, your loved one would need to visit their primary care physician. If your loved one needs transportation services, the Comfort Keepers in-home care services team is ready to assist.

There are risk factors that make one person more susceptible to breast cancer than others and those risks include:

• A family who has been diagnosed previously, especially a sister or mother
• Frequent consumption of alcohol
• Old age
• Administration of estrogen
• Dense breast tissue
• Radiation therapy in the breast or chest area

Early Detection Is Important

Early detection of breast cancer is the key to the best prognosis. Once breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the prognosis becomes poorer for the individual. Early detection can start with an at-home self-exam. The self-exam is simple to perform and your loved one can perform it alone or with the help of their Comfort Keepers in-home care services provider.

Typically, the exam is done by using a circular motion with your fingers and feeling the breast tissue. Your loved one should look for any masses or lumps that are abnormal. In addition, your loved one should identify any areas that may be painful.

Some of the symptoms of cancer include:

• Skin that is uneven, scaly, or red
• Nipple discharge
• Swelling of the breasts or tissues
• Skin irritation
• Tenderness or pain in the breast or nipple

In addition to a self-exam, your loved one should have a mammogram performed routinely to look for abnormal cells or growths. While a self-exam is helpful, it may not always catch a hidden lump or mass.

Comfort Keepers Is Here For Your Loved One

Our caregivers are here to help and support your loved one. Whether your loved one needs transportation services to and from doctor’s appointments or they need help caring for themselves in their home, our team is ready to make it happen. Call Comfort Keepers in-home care services now to learn more about how we can help!