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.

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Resources: https://getpalliativecare.org/

Ramp up COPD education this November

According to the American Lung Association, 12.7 million American adults were estimated to have COPD in 2011, but another 24 million had impaired lung function, indicating an underdiagnosis of COPD. This serious disease claims the lives of thousands of people every year and is one of the nation’s leading causes of death.

November is National COPD Awareness Month. Join the effort to educate about this condition and the ways home care can help.

  • Volunteer to moderate a COPD support group in your community, and don’t forget to provide the refreshments. Connecting your home care services with these groups will allow them to better understand the options available through all types of home care services. Start by learning more about COPD.  
  • Print out fact sheets on COPD created by the National Institutes of Health, personalize them with your agency’s contact information, and post them on bulletin boards in public spaces throughout your community. Ask retailers and other businesses to post them in their windows as well. Find them here and here.
  • 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 at a local respiratory therapist’s office and introduce your agency’s services. Ask to include the therapist in a local speaker’s event in order to network their practice.
  • Join the DRIVE4COPD campaign, a national effort sponsored by the Association for Respiratory Care, that aims to identify those who may be unaware they are at risk for developing COPD.
  • Team up with a physician and host a lunchtime seminar on effective smoking cessation treatment. Be sure to promote your agency’s many COPD-related home health services.