- Community, Pediatrics, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s reasonable for your child to feel anxious, stressed or sad about what’s happening around them. Their daily routine is being interrupted and it might be difficult for your child to understand what they’re seeing online, on TV or hearing from those around them. Times like this call for having open, supportive discussions that can help them understand, digest and cope. Ask open-ended questions and listen carefully. Start by letting them know you’re willing to talk about the issue and find out what’s on their mind. Allow your child to talk freely in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Remember, don’t underestimate their concerns or worries. Acknowledge their feelings and let them know it’s normal to feel scared. Show that you’re listening by giving them your full attention. Remind them that they can talk to you any time they need to. Tell them the truth in a way they can understand. Share with your child information that is truthful and appropriate for their age. Let your child know that some information online isn’t accurate and some stories are only based on rumors. If there are questions to which you don’t know the answer, try researching the answer together from reliable sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO). Show them how they can best protect themselves and their friends. One of the best ways to keep your child safe is by encouraging them to wash their hands regularly. Try using this WHO guide to clean hands or dance while lathering upto make learning fun. Remain calm and give them reassurance. Children will react to what you say and how you say it, whether you’re having a conversation directly with them or others. When a child sees certain images on TV or online, it can sometimes feel like the crisis is all around us at all times. This can make it hard for your child to distinguish between images on screen and their own reality. You can help your child cope with the stress by carving out time for them to play and relax. Keep regular routines and adhere to schedules as much as possible. Let them know that there are many people working hard to keep everyone safe. Help them look for the good. Let your child know there are scientists, doctors, health workers and many others who are working tirelessly to keep everyone safe. Let them know you’re there for them. Don’t leave your child in a state of worry. Try to watch their body language by measuring their tone of voice and watching their breathing. Remind your child that you’re there for them and available whenever they have concerns. Author Jennifer Evans is a mental health clinician with Anne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) Psychiatric Day Hospital.0
- Cancer CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe use of tobacco can often lead to nicotine dependence and other resulting health problems. However, people who smoke always have the option to quit. In fact, the number of former smokers has been greater than the number of current smokers since 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you have made the decision to quit smoking, you should be aware of a few common misconceptions. Getting the facts about quitting smoking is important in order to make your journey to a tobacco free life a little easier! Misconception: Today is the day! I quit smoking. Actually… you should have a plan. It is easy to be impulsive, wake up one day and decide to throw away your cigarettes. But making a huge lifestyle change like quitting smoking requires a plan. You want to set yourself up for success. It is important to be prepared for the triggers – those routines and habits that you built around smoking. You will need alternative activities when you stop smoking. Preparing for potential urges or cravings to smoke is critical to staying on track. If you are more comfortable when you quit smoking, you will be more likely to stay on track. You may experience “recovery symptoms”, (also known as nicotine withdrawal). Understanding why those symptoms are occurring and learning tools and strategies to manage them can help you cope and not be thrown off when they happen. Misconception: All I need to do is take a pill or put on a patch! Actually… your plan should include other strategies in addition to medication. There are seven FDA-approved products that can help you to quit smoking. Combining smoking cessation medication with some type of supportive classes or counseling can double your chances of quitting successfully. Try not to fall into the trap of a miracle cure or the latest novel product, like e-cigarettes. These have not been fully tested as an effective tool for quitting smoking. There are many options that have been tested and proven to be effective. Misconception: I won’t tell anyone I’m quitting…just in case I don’t! Actually… it’s good to have support. Don’t keep it a secret. Support is very important to your success. Find people who will celebrate your successes and will support you through the tough times. Let people know how they can help you in your journey to quit smoking. There are several options for getting the support you need – classes, individual counseling, online, smart phone apps, text-to-quit programs and Nicotine Anonymous groups. Misconception: I’ll never be able to quit, I have tried a thousand times! Actually… you’re doing a great job and you should be more forgiving of yourself. It’s easy to think that it’s one-and-done. Unfortunately, when you quit smoking, like any other addictive substance, slips and relapses are part of the process. Learning how to manage slips and avoiding relapses is important. Learn from your experience and apply it to your next quit attempt. It’s not an event, it’s a process. Be kind to yourself and keep trying! Misconception: Quitting smoking is all about willpower! Actually… not really. You may think it’s all about willpower and if you can’t do it on your own that it’s a personal failure or weakness, but quitting tobacco is a tall order. Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical. Don’t forget about all the resources, support and medications available to you. You can do this! Misconception: This plan worked for my friend, surely, it’ll work for me too! Actually… plans are very individualized. What works for someone else may not necessarily work for you. Talk to your health care provider or a tobacco treatment specialist to discuss options and determine the best plan for you. Here are a few things you can do to keep moving ahead on the path to quitting smoking: Visualize yourself as a nonsmoker. If you’ve been smoking for many years, you may not remember a time when you did not smoke. Try picturing yourself as a non-smoker, going through your daily routines without a cigarette or using tobacco. Visualizing yourself as a non-smoker can prepare you for when you actually quit. When you first quit smoking, you may feel uncomfortable and awkward. You may feel like you don’t know what to do with your hands, during a work break, on the phone or when driving. Think about how you can handle these situations differently. Perhaps using a cinnamon stick or a straw if you need something to hold; replace your breaks with walks; doodling while you’re on the phone; and sipping on a water bottle in the car. These little tricks can help you get through those challenging times. Celebrate small successes. If you quit for two days or two weeks – those are wins! That means you can go without smoking and you can actually quit. Those small wins are huge. Reward yourself, you’re doing something really great! Identify your why. Examine the personal reasons you have for quitting smoking. Those reasons will drive you and keep you motivated to get you through the difficult times. Write your reasons down and carry them with you so you can pull them out when you need an extra boost of confidence and motivation. Constantly remind yourself why it is important to you to quit. Recognize that smoking has been a part of your life for a long time. Smoking has served some purpose in your life and that is one of the reasons you continue to smoke or use tobacco. Try to identify that purpose or need and fill that void with something else you enjoy and that will contribute to your overall health. Try to focus not on what you are giving up but what you are gaining by giving up tobacco. Celebrate quitting but don’t become too overconfident. Once you have quit smoking, try not to become too overconfident and think that you can enjoy the “occasional” cigarette. Once you have been dependent on nicotine, you will always be dependent on it. Remember — you’re a puff away from a pack a day! Think about how hard you worked to become tobacco free! It might take a few attempts to quit smoking, but there are many resources available to help you along the way. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself, be kind to yourself and above all, don’t give up! Author Joanne Ebner is a Cancer Prevention Program manager at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC). You can reach her office at 443-481-5366/67. Originally published Aug. 20, 2018. Last updated Sept. 30, 2019.0
- Behavioral Health, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogChildren are extremely savvy when it comes to using electronic devices. Starting at a young age, they learn how to maneuver electronics better than some adults. In fact, some children know how to turn on their favorite YouTube channel before they learn how to properly speak. In today’s society, children are exposed to technology through tablets and computerized learning toys from infancy. Smartphones and tablets have become the go-to devices to keep infants and toddlers occupied to avoid public tantrums due to idle time. Therefore, it’s only a matter of time before your child will want his or her own smartphone. As a parent, how do you respond to the constant nagging for a smartphone? And more importantly, how do you really know when your child is ready for one? Allowing your child to have a smartphone can be a great thing for both of you. You can instantly contact your child when you are running late for pickup; you can be contacted immediately if there is a problem at school; and you can use it as your own personal tracking device to keep tabs on your child’s location. However, before allowing children to dive headfirst into the smartphone world, be sure to have a conversation with them about appropriate use and responsibility. Here are some simple steps to help make sure you and your child are ready for the responsibility that comes with having a smartphone. Set up rules and expectations. Have a conversation about the rules and expectations of cellphone use. Create a cellphone contract with clear expectations for usage, and consequences if the contract is broken. It is extremely important that the contract is meaningful and enforceable at all times. If you treat it as another piece of paper, children will take it for granted. Set up time limits for phone use and rules around data usage. Make all rules clear! Do not assume that children “should have known” something. Have your child turn in the phone to you at night to ensure they are getting proper sleep and not messaging with friends throughout the night. Warn about inappropriate texts and pictures. You may not be prepared to have a conversation about sexual messages and pictures with your child. However, if they are old enough to have a smartphone, then you are trusting them enough to have a smart conversation about inappropriate behaviors. Sexting is real and it happens every day in the school environment. Make sure your child knows what to do if they get an inappropriate text or picture. Inform your child to not forward messages to friends and to immediately tell you or a teacher. Inform your child of the legal implications of sending nude pictures of themselves to someone or forwarding a sexually suggestive picture that he or she may have received from a classmate. Teach your child about cyberbullying and how NOT to be a cyberbully. A cellphone means 24/7 access to everyone. In a pre-cellphone and pre-social media era, bullies stayed at school and what happened at school most likely stayed at school. With round-the-clock electronic access, a bully is now hard to escape. Inform your child of the steps to take if he or she is bullied. Know the passwords of your child’s phone, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Kik and any other social media app he or she is using. READ MORE: Safeguard your child against cyberbullying Know who is sending direct messages to your child and the type of messages your child is sending to others. Social media platforms, games and group chats make it easy for kids to be bullied. Talk to them about the signs of and have open conversations with them on what you and the school will do about bullying when it is reported. Use it as an opportunity to teach responsibility. When children have a smartphone, they have a major responsibility. Smartphones are an expensive item. No matter if your child has the first version of an iPhone or the latest-and-greatest device, there are costs associated with having a smartphone. If your child earns an allowance, have your child contribute financially. As a household, brainstorm ways that you can use a cellphone as a teaching tool to increase personal responsibility. Always remember it is YOUR phone. If you buy a phone for your child, then you are allowing your child to use your phone. No matter what your child tells you, the phone is your property — you own it. It is your right to take it back, turn off the data and turn off the service if you feel your child cannot be responsible for your phone. Since it is your phone, it is important that you make sure you know how to use it. Children are smart and have amazing skills with using electronic devices, which can be dangerous for them. Don’t let your child outsmart you. When you give your child a cellphone, know what apps are downloaded and how to use them. Be aware of where they save pictures, texts, emails and messages so when you conduct daily searches of the phone, you know exactly what you are looking for. Always know passwords to unlock the phone. Be aware of the phone’s parental controls and safety measures. Smartphones are your child’s lifeline to the world. As a parent, you need to know what is going on in your child’s world to protect him or her from themselves and others. Teach and model putting the phone down. Have a set time each day for the family to unplug from electronic devices. Unplugging is an important habit that we all need to practice daily. For many of us, electronic devices are ringing, buzzing and pinging from the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to bed at night. Set family time that is phone-free time. Create a phone box to put everyone’s phone in. Then, for at least 30 minutes to an hour each night, try to make your home a cellphone free zone. The use of electronic devices can quickly turn into an addictive behavior for some individuals. Allow children the ability to unplug from the electronic world so they can feel re-energized and refreshed the next day. Remember that you know your child best. You are aware of your child’s maturity level, friends and daily habits. When handing your child a device that requires a great level of responsibility, be sure to trust your instinct. A smartphone allows quick, instant access to everything in the real world. As a parent, do your best to monitor, protect and prepare your child so they can use their smartphone in a manner that is safe and responsible. Author Jennifer Williams (Walton), MA, LPC, LCPC, is a mental health professional at Anne Arundel Medical Group (AAMG) Mental Health Specialists, located in Annapolis. To reach her, call 410-573-9000. Ask questions, find resources and learn more at askAAMC.org/HealthyMinds.0
- WellnessGeneral Page Tier 3BlogOne in five children today are clinically obese, according to U.S. data. That’s a staggering statistic. Practicing an active lifestyle at an early age with your children is important. Whether you’re making it a family priority for the first time, or if COVID-19 has temporarily derailed you and you need to get back on track, here are ideas to get outside and active this summer. Understand Obesity in Kids As kids grow and develop, their body weight naturally fluctuates a bit as they go through various stages. At your child’s yearly checkup, the doctor will measure their weight and compare it to growth charts, your child’s personal history and your family history to make sure they’re staying in a healthy range. Children become overweight for a variety of reasons. Some reasons include family eating habits, community factors, what they eat and drink and how much exercise they get. Unfortunately, being overweight can set a child up to experience serious issues, such as: Breathing problems Heart disease Joint problems Social problems Type 2 diabetes Make Time to Play: 60 Minutes a Day With busy family schedules and children spending more time in front of screens, there can be fewer hours in the day to let them run, jump, climb and swing. But it’s worth making an intentional plan if you’re worried your child isn’t getting enough physical activity. Remember: Kids aged 6 to 17 should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day Kids aged 3 to 5 should stay active throughout the day to help their growth and development Anything that gets your kiddos up and moving — and gets their heart rate up — is a great place to start. Aim to allow both structured and unstructured activities. Work to help your child find physical activities they enjoy so they’re more likely to keep it up. Move Forward Together A great way to help your kids lead a healthy lifestyle is to lead one yourself. They’ll learn from your example. It helps when everyone feels like they’re on the same team. Try to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Cut back on sugary drinks and make regular physical activity a priority. Take a look at your summer calendar to make sure you’ve included enough regular, active play. If you want to kick-start a new routine, here are a few ideas to get moving as a family: Plan Backyard Hangouts: Blow bubbles and see who can catch the most Build a backyard obstacle course Chalk out a hopscotch or scooter-trick course Follow each other’s lead with Simon Says Plant a garden or work together in the yard Relive Your Youth: Get competitive with frisbee, kickball or tug of war Have a jump rope or hula hoop contest Make a slip ‘n slide using a plastic tarp Play hide and seek or tag outside Teach each other your coolest dance moves Take Your Fun on the Go: Check out an interesting local attraction Get together safely with friends at the playground or pool Head out on a family bike ride Make a picnic to take to the park Walk the dog (or a neighbor’s dog!) Enjoy a Healthy Summer Get out and enjoy yourself. It will feel great to take in some fresh air — and to get back to your favorite physical activities. As long as you plan ahead and follow local health and safety guidelines, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a very active and healthy summer with your kids. Author Scott Eden, MD, is a practicing family medicine physician at Anne Arundel Medical Group Chesapeake Family Medicine in Annapolis.0
- CommunityGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn the wake of recent events, Luminis Health CEO Tori Bayless shares how our health system plans to confront racism, together. It is impossible to witness what we all are witnessing this week without sharing these words with you… Racism. It is an ugly reality that pervades our society. It has no place in our country, in our community, or in our health system. We will confront racism head on, and take action against it. Overt. Systemic. And everything in between. The recent, senseless killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are the most recent incidents of a long-standing legacy of inequity that demands justice. They demand that we do better. This problem that lingers in our society is not the burden of people of color alone. The ugliness is impacting our co-workers, patients, friends and family. Therefore, it is our problem to confront together. In the tumultuous days since the murder of George Floyd, emotions are understandably running high. Outrage. Grief. Sadness. Fear. Anger. Together we are planning our response as a health system that will underscore our commitment to justice and to every human life. We will do it together, as a team. As one. We also are caregivers. And we will care for each other, our patients and our community through this unrest and this ugly reality. We need to ask, how can we work together to understand those who need to be heard and protected? How can I be a better ally to my colleagues? It goes even deeper. How can I hear what I am not hearing? As a health system our core values fight against racism – but is it enough? Are we making progress? Today, I encourage you to check on each other. Offer to listen. Think about actions you can take, big and small, to start making a difference. I will be doing the same. And we will share our organizational response with you in the coming days. Together, we can heal and make change happen. Together we will be a part of the solution and support the eradication of inequity.0
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