Many of us take for granted the simple things in life. Our body’s basic abilities, like being able to see, hear, and breathe, are gifts we don’t often celebrate until they’re compromised.
COPD, “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,” impacts nearly 16 million adults. Managing the setbacks from COPD can feel like a full-time job, not to mention trips to the ER or hospital can take patients away from home frequently.
Once you develop a condition like COPD, it’s not going away, but with the right resources and self-care, it can be manageable at home.
Here are ten tips for living better with COPD:
Don’t Smoke
Stay Hydrated
Eat a Proper Diet
Don’t Skip Your Medication
Avoid Poor Air Quality (pet dander, secondhand smoke, areas of inadequate ventilation)
Exercise
Try Pulmonary Rehab
Get Plenty of Rest
Use Your Oxygen
Ask for Help
Home Care Services
COPD can cause gradual shortness of breath, which may worsen as the condition progresses. Being unable to breathe can make caring for your home or yourself difficult.
Vacuuming, laundry, sweeping, mopping, outside chores, and even showering can be taxing and sometimes even feel impossible. If you stop doing the basic things you need to do each day, hygiene risks due to poor air quality, unsanitary conditions, or even skin breakdown can add to your existing health struggles. One way to avoid these issues is by finding support.
While home health and home care are often confused, a home care service helps patients with non-medical needs at home. They also provide personal care assistance to ensure their clients have proper hygiene.
Home care services may be able to do light housekeeping and assist with bathing tasks to ensure your safety. Each provider offers different services, but some providers can help with transportation, scheduling appointments, picking up groceries, preparing meals, or running errands.
Even a small amount of help, such as a day or two a week, can help improve life and help to reduce risks. They may be the missing piece you need to continue living independently!
Home Health Services
Home health services vary but may include a registered nurse (RN) who visits your home. Services can also include physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as well as a registered dietician to help support the nutritional needs of patients experiencing various health conditions.
When an RN visits your home, they can offer education, monitor your vitals and health changes, and help you learn to manage your condition independently. Care, health monitoring, and education at home may help prevent your condition from worsening and reduce the need for ER visits or hospital stays.
Each patient’s goals and needs are unique. Home health clinicians can help create a care plan centered around your outcomes to help you be successful, healthy, and safe.
If you or someone you love is managing a life-limiting chronic condition such as COPD, call CaringEdge today at 877-907-8684 or email us at info@caringedge.com. We can conduct a free consultation to determine your eligibility. If you’re on a limited or fixed income, Medicare or Medicaid may even be able to cover the costs!
September is here. It’s time to prepare for a new season with cooler temperatures, and don’t forget to celebrate Healthy Aging Month!
While genetics play a factor in our health, our choices and lifestyle do, too. When retirement closes the door to busy schedules and commutes, another door opens to hobbies and free time. It’s a great opportunity to have the time and attention to improve habits and adopt healthy activities.
Here are ten ideas to kick off Healthy Aging Month:
1. Take Control of Your Health:
From reducing stress to improving the numbers in your medical chart, it’s never too late to begin managing your mental and physical health. Doing so will help you maintain your independence, greatly impacting your quality of life as your years begin to add up.
Healthy aging is a balancing act: too much of anything isn’t good for you. If you have habits to change or complex emotions to regulate, your doctor’s office is the best place to start so you can find activities that will suit you best.
2. Do Some Gardening:
Whether you’re foraging the last of your summer veggies, pruning your shrubs, or planting a beautiful display of tulips, gardening can be done at whatever pace you find comfortable. It’s great exercise; it gives you a reason to be outside, and if you’re planting something for springtime, it can help you get excited about what will pop up.
3. Play Pickleball:
This one is sweeping our nation by storm. Although it’s been around longer in some communities, many rural areas are improving their parks and recreation options by adding pickleball courts. When you partake in a game, you also open the door to social opportunities.
4. Travel:
Seeing new places, faces, and nature scenes can help nourish the soul. Visit that friend from college you lost contact with or long-lost relatives in other cities and states. See as much as possible and take all the photos to remember your adventures.
5. Be a Local Tourist:
List the nearby attractions you haven’t had a chance to enjoy and visit! Have you longed to visit the arboretum, museum, or community theater? Are you driving near beautiful waterfalls every day that you’ve only heard about, or perhaps there’s a famous landmark nearby that you’ve never seen?
6. Check out Book Clubs:
It’s important to keep learning. If you can join an established book club, that’s great, or you can start your own based on topics and books that interest you the most.
7. Do Some Organizing:
Whether your junk drawer needs a good once-over or you could really benefit from downsizing your closets, garage, or entire home, this project is a gift. You can see what you have and what you need, and it helps you think about eliminating what you don’t. Have a rummage or estate sale for a bonus activity that puts money in your pocket!
8. Take a Class:
From dancing to knitting to social media and pottery, community education classes are typically low in cost and high in satisfaction. They’re also offered at varied times during the year so participants can attend in a season that works best.
9. Spend Time Outside:
Nature is great for the soul! Hiking, biking, or walking along public trails can help improve your mood and well-being. Even a picnic in the park with family helps you socialize, get fresh air, and, if you’re lucky, get a dose of vitamin D from the sun.
10. Volunteer: Find an organization that speaks to your soul and volunteer your time for those who need it in your area, or check with us at CaringEdge. Our hospice patients benefit greatly from our kind, compassionate volunteers who help with everything from washing dishes to sitting on the front porch enjoying coffee.
If you’re interested in learning how to help as a volunteer, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@caringedge.com.
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