ANN ARBOR, MI - At 70 years old, Beverly Bennett has been smoking an average of a pack a day for 54 years. She quit for about nine months in the 1990s but started again. Now, she is determined to give it another try.

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“I've decided to quit because of my health. I would like to live a little bit longer,” she says, “and almost any place you go you can't smoke anyhow!”

She's not alone. Many seniors are making the difficult decision to kick the habit, one that some have had since they were in their teens. They want to do it for their health and for the health of their loved ones, and many of them are finding success with the help of support groups designed specifically for seniors.

“There are some challenges for the older adult that are different than the younger adult,” says Linda Thomas, M.S., manager of the M-Fit Tobacco Consultation Service at the University of Michigan Health System. “What we see in the research and what we have found in our program is skill building and education are less important for the older adult, and that social support and strategies of dealing with social isolation and depression that can come from quitting smoking are more important.”

With that in mind, Thomas runs support groups for older adults, including Smoking Cessation for Seniors at the U-M Health System's Turner Senior Resource Center. The content of the class is much different from classes for younger adults. For instance, Thomas doesn't talk as much about the physiological effects of nicotine in the class for seniors. The psychological aspects of smoking and the process of breaking a longtime behavioral pattern are more important for seniors, she says.

“We discuss the relationship between the physical addiction and some of the behavioral, learned aspects of smoking,” Thomas says. “But for the most part, it is a time for our older adults to actually go through a mourning process of giving up cigarettes.”

Group members also get to continue attending the sessions as long as they want – including some people who are still attending three years after they began.

Does this approach to quitting work for seniors? Just look at the numbers: the sessions have a 58 percent quit rate at 12 months among anyone who has attended three or more sessions. Compare that to a national rate of 5 percent among all adults – not just older adults – and it shows that the U-M success rate is “pretty outstanding,” Thomas says.

Even for people who have been smoking for decades, Thomas notes that it's never too late to kick the unhealthy habit. Quitting can have health benefits for people, no matter what age they are when they stop smoking.

“You can mitigate some of the damage that has been done with years of smoking,” she says. “For example, if you have had a diagnosis of emphysema, that's not going to go away. But it's not uncommon for someone to come in with a moderate to severe obstruction, and to have the inflammation in the lungs reduced after they stop smoking. It doesn't make the disease go away, it just makes the disease more manageable.”

What do you do when you're ready to stop smoking? Thomas says it's very important to make a plan and set a date to quit. Get some help with a cognitive behavioral program and use nicotine replacement, such as patches or gum, she says.

“And definitely get support,” Thomas says. “If you don't have a cognitive behavioral program in the area, then tell at least three family members or three friends, ‘This is my quit date, I need you as a support person.' “

Bennett, for one, is doing well with the help of the support group. “I'm tired of smelling like smoke, and I just have that feeling that this is going to be it,” she says. “I do not need cigarettes anymore. It's a crutch, and I don't need it.”

Robert A. Borowski, 69, is hoping to acquire that same mindset. He's been smoking a pack to a pack-and-a-half a day for about 50 years, and after an emotional encounter with a grandchild, he has decided the time is right to quit.

“I have three lovely grandchildren, and the 10 year-old brought me a little poster for me to ‘Quit smoking, Grandpa,'” Borowski says. “And, well, my wife and son are after me, and I recognize for health purposes I really need to quit.”

“I have what appears to be a great support group here, preparing you mentally on what to expect, how to overcome some of the urges and what to do when you get them,” he says. “I think it'll make it a lot easier, and I think I'll be successful.”

Facts about smoking, and quitting smoking:

• Cigarette smoking is the greatest cause of preventable deaths in the United States.
• On average, people who smoke die five to 10 years earlier than people who don't smoke.
• Many people who have lung cancer are smokers or people who live with smokers.
• Smoking also increases the risk of lung diseases such as emphysema, heart disease, stroke, ulcers, and hip, wrist and spinal fractures.
• Quitting smoking can improve your blood flow and your skin, give you more energy, and improve your overall health.
• Quitting also can lower your chances of having heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema and other breathing problems.
• When you are trying to quit smoking, it is important to set a quit date and make a plan to quit. You also should get support from family and friends, spend time with people who don't smoke, keep yourself busy so you aren't as tempted to smoke again, and throw away your cigarettes and ashtrays.

For more information about smoking, lung cancer and emphysema, visit these Web sites:

U-M Health System Tobacco Consultation Service
www.med.umich.edu/mfit/tobacco

Senior smoking cessation and other groups at the U-M Health System's Turner Senior Resource Center and Turner Geriatric Clinic www.med.umich.edu/geriatrics/communityprograms/supportgroups.htm

U-M Health Topics A-Z: How to quit smoking
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/guides/smoking.htm

UMHS News: Smoking and depression
www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2002/smoking.htm

U-M Health Topics A-Z: Hazards of smoking
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/aha_stop_crs.htm

U-M Health Topics A-Z: Passive smoking
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_passive_hhg.htm

U-M Health Topics A-Z: Emphysema
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/aha_emphysem_crs.htm

U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center: Lung cancer
www.cancer.med.umich.edu/learn/lung.htm

Written by Katie Gazella

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