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How Can Palliative Care Help with COPD?

Managing COPD is a complicated process and it can feel overwhelming at times.
Palliative Care Carrollton, TX: COPD
Palliative Care Carrollton, TX: COPD

COPD can take a lot out of your senior. She may find that life with COPD is a lot more challenging than before she started developing symptoms. Having a way to manage all of the various ways that COPD makes life more difficult is crucial for your elderly family member. Palliative care options are available for her almost immediately, but what can palliative care do for her?

Dealing with Daily Struggles Like Anxiety and Dyspnea

It’s extremely common for people with COPD to experience dyspnea, or shortness of breath, as well as anxiety. Some COPD patients are so anxious, in fact, that they can make shortness of breath more of a problem. Learning how to deal with those feelings enables your senior to feel empowered again, even when facing a chronic health condition like COPD. 

Education Around COPD Itself

Your elderly family member might have learned a lot about COPD already, but there’s always much more to learn. There are also new studies and new therapies that might help your senior. It never hurts to have as much information as possible for your senior so that she can put new techniques to work.

Assisting with Lifestyle Changes

Some people with COPD might still smoke, or might be scared to exercise even if their doctor has recommended it. Working with palliative care providers can help your elderly family member to find other ways to make some lifestyle changes that can help. Even small adjustments can make a big difference.

Helping Manage Illnesses and Exacerbations

Exacerbations are a big part of having COPD. Every now and again your senior may experience a temporary worsening of her symptoms, which is what an exacerbation is. She may also be more susceptible to illnesses that can quickly become serious, including pneumonia. Having help to manage these situations before they become life-threatening is really important.

Improving Quality of Life

Quality of life can be a huge issue for your elderly family member living with COPD. Learning to conserve her energy can be one of the best tools, because that allows your senior to pick and choose her battles. The more that she can learn to rely on other tools, people, and solutions in order to make life easier, the better her quality of life is likely to be.

COPD is a progressive illness, but palliative care can help your senior to make the best of the time that she has left.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering Palliative Care in Carrollton, TX please contact the caring staff at Arcy Healthcare today. 469-293-1515

Jimmie Stapleton

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