Palliative Care for the COPD Patient

It’s hard to imagine that some 50 years ago cigarette smoking was widely accepted in restaurants, on airplanes, and even in hospitals. Cigarettes could be purchased in vending machines and were glamorized in the movies. Sadly, many seniors of today are dealing with the consequences of that culture and find themselves afflicted with some degree of COPD.

COPD is a general term for several progressive lung diseases that include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Those living with COPD suffer from cumulative lung damage that cannot be reversed, although symptoms can be managed and disease progression can be slowed with proper treatment.

Palliative care is instrumental in managing COPD. It helps patients achieve the best possible quality of life whatever the prognosis. Many COPD patients have a difficult time even walking across a room, let alone trekking to a clinic for care. Home health and hospice agencies offer palliative care in the convenience and comfort of a patient’s home. Whether that be a house, a senior community, skilled nursing facility, or hospital. 

November is COPD Awareness Month and the start of flu season in many parts of the country. Remind your referring physicians about the many benefits of home care, especially for their patients suffering with chronic respiratory conditions. One major benefit, especially this time of year, is reducing the time spent in overcrowded waiting rooms for those who have compromised immune systems and are susceptible to infection.

Here are some ideas to raise lung health awareness in your community:

• Volunteer to lead a COPD support group in your community. Introducing your services to your neighbors will allow them to better understand the options available through all types of home care agencies.

• Distribute informative brochures to your local senior centers that list the symptoms, causes and risk factors for COPD, as well as the pulmonary rehabilitation services your agency provides.

• Provide your referral network with informative material on effective smoking cessation strategies. Be sure to include your agency’s many COPD-related home health services.

Visit www.tagstore.com for all your Home Health and Hospice marketing essentials.

Resources: https://getpalliativecare.org/

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week is March 10 – 16

Promote Pulmonary Rehabilitation throughout the month of March! Highlight the role home health can play in improving outcomes and reducing hospitalizations for patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a therapy program designed to reduce symptoms and increase stamina for people with breathing problems. PR is an individualized care plan that works in tandem with other medical treatments to teach patients how better to manage their condition. A typical PR strategy may include:  

• Physical training

• Energy-conservation techniques

• Respiration coaching

• Meal planning

• Disease management procedures

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a long-term commitment that can be an effective treatment for: respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis, and COPD. Patients with severely compromised health and those with limited mobility can find it difficult to participate in regular therapy sessions. That’s where having a team of specialists come to the patient is so helpful. Home health can provide the therapy people need without their leaving home.

Home health care teams, nurses, technicians, and specialists provide high level care for patients with obstructed breathing.

• Promote home care to the physicians in your service area. Remind your referral network that under Medicare patients are generally covered for most medically necessary COPD treatments including home health care ICD-10 codes J00-J99.

• Cold and Flu season may be winding down, but the local walk-in clinics are still busy treating patients with respiratory illness. Call on these often-overlooked referral sources and distribute patient education materials about home health and COPD.

• Advocate lung health through your social media outlets with links to helpful resources.

Visit TAGwebstore.com for all your home health, private duty, and hospice print media.

November is National COPD Month

The Fall is a good time to re-stock your referral network with disease brochures. Many seniors especially those with compromised lung health will find themselves in your referring physicians’ waiting rooms in the coming winter months. Educate patients about the benefits of choosing Home Health as a care partner for maladies such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The frequency of evaluation and monitoring that home health can provide promotes a higher degree of symptom management and recovery.

COPD is a general term for several progressive lung diseases that include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD patients experience damage to their bronchial sacs from exposure to airborne irritants like tobacco smoke, chemical fumes, and pollution. The damage is cumulative and cannot be reversed, but symptoms can be managed and disease progression can be slowed.

Recognizing COPD can be challenging because the symptoms are common to other conditions and often mistaken for lingering respiratory infections. Some seniors, especially smokers, rationalize that coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath are just part of getting older. Shortness of breath should never be ignored and could indicate a number of serious conditions pertaining to the heart or lungs. Chronic shortness of breath is a very good indication of COPD.

Older adults should be vigilant about their lung health, especially those who smoke or have a family history of lung disease. They should ask for a  spirometry test at their annual wellness exam and seek medical attention for any lingering COPD symptoms.

Common symptoms of COPD include:

• Persistent shortness of breath

• Frequent coughing (with and without mucus)

• Wheezing

• Chest tightness

• Recurring respiratory infections

• Intolerance to exercise

Here are some ideas to raise lung health awareness in your community:

Volunteer to lead a COPD support group in your community. Introducing your services to your neighbors will allow them to better understand the options available through all types of home care agencies.

Distribute informative brochures to your local senior centers that list the symptoms, causes and risk factors for COPD, as well as the pulmonary rehabilitation services your agency provides.

Provide your referral network with informative material on effective smoking cessation strategies. Be sure to include your agency’s many COPD-related home health services.

Visit www.tagstore.com for all your Home Health and Hospice marketing essentials.

World Lung Cancer Day is right around the corner…

August 1st is World Lung Cancer Day … Share your expertise in patient care as you promote lung health.  As health care providers, you undoubtedly understand the close relationship between COPD and lung cancer, but most people don’t realize the close association. COPD and lung cancer share similar symptoms like a persistent cough, shortness of breath, chronic bronchitis, or repeated episodes of pneumonia. The cross-over in symptoms between chronic lung disorders and lung cancer can contribute to the cancer going undetected until it is in an advanced stage.

This is where you come in: The frequency of home health assessment provides COPD patients with an added level of monitoring.  With these consistent evaluations home health nurses can recognize symptom changes that might indicate the presence of lung cancer.

Symptoms of lung cancer: Fatigue • Loss of appetite • Unexplained weight loss • Chest pain unrelated to coughing • Hoarseness • Coughing up blood

Here are some ideas to raise lung health awareness in your community:

• Volunteer to lead a COPD support group in your community. Connecting your home care services with these groups will allow them to better understand the options available through all types of home care services.
• Distribute to your community informative brochures that list the symptoms, causes and risk factors for COPD, as well as the services your agency provides.
• Sponsor a Lunch and Learn at a local respiratory therapist’s office and introduce your agency’s services.
• Provide your referral network with informative material on effective smoking cessation options. Be sure to include your agency’s many COPD-related home health services.
• Arrange to visit local schools to provide information on lung health:

1. DON’T Smoke!
2. Exercise to breathe harder. When you exercise your heart beats faster and your lungs work harder which increases lung efficiency and strength.
3. Avoid exposure to pollutants such as second-hand smoke, air pollution, and automobile exhaust, and have your home tested for radon.
4. Stay healthy to avoid infection by washing your hands, avoiding crowds during cold & flu season, taking the flu vaccine annually, and asking your doctor if the pneumonia vaccine is right for you.
5. Practice deep breathing exercises to increase lung capacity and function.

Visit www.tagwebstore for all your Home Health and Hospice Communication Essentials

It’s World Asthma Day!

World Asthma Day is observed on the first Tuesday in May each year to raise awareness and support for those affected by the disease. World asthma Day is supported by the Global Initiative for Asthma and the World Asthma Foundation. Asthma for some people is no more than a minor nuisance, but for others it can be a life-threatening condition that must be closely monitored and controlled. Asthma sufferers experience constant lung inflammation which makes them susceptible to sudden bronchial swelling and airway restriction when exposed to certain triggers: 

• Airborne objects like:  Dust, Pollen, Pet Dander, Mold Spores
• Cold Air / Damp Night Air
• Physical Activity
• Smoke / Air Pollutants
• Stress / Emotional Distress

If triggers can be identified and avoided the possibility of a severe asthma attack can be greatly diminished.

Indications of severe asthma that require prompt medical attention include: experiencing rapid shortness of breath, breathing doesn’t improve with the use of a relief inhaler or breathing becomes difficult with minimal physical activity.

Untreated or severe asthma can develop into other serious conditions. Studies show a direct connection between severity of asthma as a child and the occurrence of COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, later in life. Children who suffer from persistent asthma are nearly 32 times more likely to develop COPD in adulthood. COPD is on the rise in the United States and is currently the third leading cause of death.

Recognize World Asthma Day and bring attention to Lung Health this month by providing your referral network with educational materials on chronic lung conditions and the services that  Home Health Care can provide as part of their treatment plan.

For more informative materials on other conditions visit our web store: www.tagwebstore.com