Caring for Someone with COPD: 7 Tips for Caregivers
If you have a loved one in your life with COPD, you are already aware of the profound impact it can have on their quality of life. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a long-term lung condition that blocks airflow and makes it difficult to breathe. Virtually everything in life gets harder when living with COPD, so people with this condition often require ongoing, attentive care.
To help you tackle the challenge of caring for a loved one with COPD effectively, keep these seven tips in mind.
Educate Yourself
You may not be a doctor, but it can only help to know as much about COPD as possible in this situation. With a strong baseline level of knowledge, you’ll understand the basics of what your loved one is experiencing, what issues are likely to come up, what treatments can be effective, and more. Take some time to do some reading on the topic from reliable sources, or even watch videos that discuss COPD and what it means (again, from good sources). This knowledge certainly doesn’t replace what you’ll get from a professional healthcare provider, but as you will be spending a lot of time with your loved one as a caregiver, you should know what to expect and how to respond.
Manage Medications Carefully
There will be a medication routine established for your loved one as part of their treatment plan for COPD. It may be necessary for you to help manage these medications as part of providing care, including understanding what each medication looks like, when they are to be taken, and any other relevant details. Don’t try to keep all of this information in your head. Instead, you may want to use a medication management system, or at least set up some reminders on your phone so it doesn’t slip your mind. The more you can automate the caretaking process, the less of a toll it will take on your mental health.
Encourage Healthy Habits
This point is a bit tricky, but it’s important. You don’t want to be too pushy about encouraging a healthy lifestyle – that might not be well-received – but you do want to promote the kinds of actions that are going to help your loved one improve. Things like eating a balanced diet and getting regular physical activity (or whatever level is appropriate for the situation) are great starting points.
Consider Breathing Exercises
If recommended by the doctor, breathing exercises have the potential to help people with COPD. You can treat these exercises much like medications – try to encourage your loved one to complete them at a given time each day, according to the doctor’s instructions. The exercises might not always be comfortable to complete, so be supportive and understanding along the way.
Pay Close Attention to Symptoms
It’s likely that you are going to spend a lot of time with your loved one during this period of providing care. As such, you are going to become quite familiar with their condition, and you should be able to notice when something seems out of the ordinary. COPD symptoms like shortness of breath and coughing can come and go. It’s a good idea to keep a log of these events so you can report them to the doctor and help inform their care plan. Also, you’ll want to have an emergency plan in place for when things spiral out of control and something needs to be done right away.
Remember Emotional Support
You will largely be focused on caring for your loved one as it relates to their physical needs – delivering medications, promoting exercise and healthy eating, etc. But it’s just as important to be there emotionally for this person, as they are going through a challenging phase of life. COPD is a difficult disease to deal with and there are almost certainly some frustrations and anxieties that will come along with the diagnosis. Do your best to stay positive, be willing to listen, and try to keep your loved one engaged with other friends and family members so they can continue to enjoy life.
Care For Yourself
It might be a bit of a cliché, but you can’t care for others if you don’t care for yourself. Paying so much attention to your duties as a caregiver that you get worn down and burned out won’t end well for anybody. Find a way to take breaks from providing care – either by switching out with another family member or by hiring help – and seek support from groups where you can talk to others in similar situations.
There’s no getting around the fact that caring for a loved one with COPD is a challenge. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, however – if you have a good plan in place, using some of the tips above as a starting point, you can get a handle on this situation and give everyone involved the best possible quality of life.
If you or your family member is considering in-home care as part of a plan to age in place, contact Family Matters In-Home Care today for a free consultation. Our team is dedicated to supporting your family and helping older adults enjoy life in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible.
Some of the services offered by Family Matter In-Home Care include: Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care, Bed & Wheelchair Transfer Assistance, Companionship, Housekeeping & Meal Preparation, Personal Care, Recovery Care, and Transportation.
Serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater San Diego, Family Matter In-Home Care has offices throughout California.
