copd - ViaQuest

5 Ways to Get Extra Care for a Loved One with COPD

Posted on October 1, 2021April 1, 2022 by ViaQuest

If you are a caregiver for a loved one with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), you likely understand the toll this disease can take on one’s physical and mental health. COPD is a frightening, challenging, and stressful illness. As the disease progresses, the most frightening symptoms of COPD increase, leading to frequent hospitalizations. There may come a time when it is necessary to get extra care for a loved one with COPD. In this blog, we share 5 ways to get extra support for a loved one with COPD.

As winter approaches, the change in season and drops in temperature can cause COPD symptoms to worsen, and you may notice your loved one struggling even more than usual. You may realize that you need an extra layer of support as the stress of the illness increases and symptoms increase. As COPD worsens, your loved one may have repeated lung infections that lead to hospitalizations, have trouble walking and breathing, become dependent on oxygen, and rely on the help of family caregivers.

The first step in gaining an extra layer of support is understanding when it may be time to seek additional care.

When to Consider Hospice Care

If you are unsure when to seek an extra layer of support, consider some of these signs that it may be time.

Increased emergency room visits or hospitalizations for COPD complications
Shortness of breath to the point your loved feels like they can’t breathe
Increased fatigue, depression, anxiety, and stress
Need for continuous oxygen or increased use of bronchodilators
Any disease progression
Choosing to focus on comfort rather than cure of the disease
Patient or family feeling the need to call your doctor’s office with questions about medication and symptoms

5 Ways to Get Extra Care

If you believe your loved one’s disease is becoming more difficult to manage or that their quality of life is being more compromised, it may be time to accept additional support. Here are some tips to help move forward in getting the care your loved one needs and support for you as their caregiver.

Talk to your doctor. Share your concerns with your loved one’s physician. Give them a realistic view of how your loved one is doing, sharing any increasing symptoms, stresses, and burdens of the disease. Be honest with them about your own ability to cope as their caregiver and your ability to continue to meet your loved one’s growing needs. Be frank about your concerns. It is OK to ask your loved one’s physician to refer you to a care provider like ViaQuest for support. You are the one closest to your loved one and have the best knowledge of how they are really doing.

Prepare for tomorrow. There is currently no cure for this chronic and progressive disease. By understanding COPD, its progression, and what to expect, you can prepare for a time when it becomes necessary for extra support and a change in your loved one’s ability to care for themselves. Knowing what’s ahead allows you to also accept that you will have limitations as their caregiver and the need for expert care. Prepare a list of potential organizations that can provide the care needed when the time comes. Do your research now vs. when you are exhausted and in a panic state. Reach out to care providers like ViaQuest to understand what is involved in gaining their support. This way, you will have aligned the resources to be there when you need them.

Expect Support. Expecting support is OK. Let’s say that another way – expecting support is the best thing for you and your loved one. Admit it, caregiving is hard. Though many are more than willing to do anything for their loved one, caregiving is physically and emotionally exhausting. Let others help. When friends offer to help, let them. Taking even one thing off your To Do List can ease your stress. If you struggle answering friends when they ask, “How can I help?” look at the things you have to do daily, weekly, or monthly. Can they pick up some groceries, run an errand, drive the kids to their soccer game, pick up prescriptions, take the dog to the vet, or simply be there to when you need to vent? If you write a list of all your responsibilities, then you know how to answer their request to help. And realize, they really do want to help. It’s OK to let them, no one can do it all. You will be a more effective caregiver to your loved one by sharing the care.

Move Past the Guilt. You may feel guilty seeking caregiving support and that by doing so, you will be letting your loved one down or make them feel you don’t want the responsibility. But many of our patients have told us many times that they wished their family caregiver could just be their daughter, son, wife, or husband again. Caregiving can change your role with your loved one. When a disease like COPD progresses and caregiving becomes your main focus, it overshadows your relationship, who you used to be to them, who they used to be to you. If you can’t move past the guilt, you’ll never seek the help you both need. Realize that by returning to your role as daughter, son, wife, or husband, you are giving both of you a gift of recapturing the precious time that remains together.

Consider Hospice Care. You may not realize that hospice care can be a beneficial support system that greatly improves quality of life while reducing the stress and burden of serious illnesses like COPD. It’s never easy to come to terms with the advancing illness of a loved one, yet hospice is most effective when started early on. Considering hospice sooner ensures your loved one, and you as their caregiver, will gain the full benefit of the expert care and the extra layer of support hospice brings. Hospice care providers like ViaQuest are experts in serious illnesses, including COPD. ViaQuest brings a level of care that can control distressing symptoms, increase comfort, and help keep your loved one out of the hospital. Imagine a complete support system of physicians, nurses, counselors, and chaplains providing focused care to your loved one and support to your family while CNAs help with caregiving support like bathing, grooming, changing beds, and light meals. The other great benefit of hospice care is access to an RN 24/7. You have expert support for those frightening symptoms that seem to happen at 3 am. ViaQuest also provides all medical equipment and supplies related to the illness. You may think this incredible amount of support is expensive, but care is paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurers.

If you have a loved one living with COPD, remember you don’t have to face this serious illness alone. Comfort, support, and an extra layer of caring are available. If you’re unsure about what level of care makes the most sense in regard to your loved one’s illness today, we can help. Give us a call at 855-289-1722 or reach out to us here, and we’ll help determine if our hospice services are right for you.

Learn More If Hospice Is Right For You

Air Time

Posted on April 21, 2021July 7, 2021 by ViaQuest

Breathing Techniques & Other Exercises for Those with COPD

Because no two cases of COPD are exactly the same, individuals who endure the disease face a variety of different symptoms and benefit from a variety of different treatments.

Medication can help. Therapy can help. General efforts to maintain physical health can help. And for a great many COPD patients, breathing techniques can help. Fatigue and shortness of breath are common among those who have the disease, and COPD breathing exercises strengthen the muscles – so if you have it, diligent exercises mean breathing in general requires less exertion.

Breathing Exercises

Medical experts consistently recommend four different types of breathing techniques to keep your airways in good shape.

Pursed Lip Breathing

One of the most commonly recommended techniques, pursed lip breathing is intended to release air trapped in the lungs and reduce shortness of breath by making it easier to breathe. It should be practiced four or five times a day, and is best used during the most difficult part of a daily activity such as climbing stairs. It works like this:

Relax your shoulder and neck muscles.
Take a breath in through your nose – your mouth should be closed – and count to two. Repeating the phrase “inhale, one, two” in your head may help.
Purse your lips, as though to whistle or blow on food that’s too hot.
Count to four while breathing slowly out through your mouth. As with step 2, it may be worthwhile to repeat a phrase: “exhale, one, two, three, four.”

If you’re unable to inhale or exhale as long as suggested, a good general rule is to breathe out for twice as long as you breathe in.

Coordinated Breathing

Suggested for physical exercise, coordinated breathing may also be helpful for brief relief of stress or anxiety:

Before beginning an exercise, breathe in through your nose.
Exhale through pursed lips during the most strenuous part of the exercise.
Repeat as needed.

Deep Breathing

This technique is best practiced in conjunction with other daily breathing exercises. It’s designed to reduce shortness of breath by keeping air from getting trapped in the lungs:

Expand your chest by sitting or standing with your elbows slightly back.
Breathe in deeply through your nose and count to five.
Slowly exhale through your nose until you feel you’ve breathed out all the air you just breathed in. Some recommend a forceful cough at the end.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing, is meant to relieve pressure on some of the muscles used more for breathing by those with COPD. Individuals with the disease often feel pressure on their lungs due to trapped air, and tend to use their back, neck and shoulder muscles for breathing. The goal is to retrain the body to rely on the diaphragm. The exercise can be repeated as necessary, though it’s more of an advanced technique than the above, so it shouldn’t be the first one you try:

Lie or sit down with your knees bent – you can put a pillow under them, if that helps – and relax your shoulders.
Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. If you prefer, you can also place a light object such as a tissue box on your stomach instead.
Inhale through your nose for two or three seconds. If you feel your stomach moving more than your chest, you’re doing it right.
Exhale slowly through pursed lips, for five or six seconds, while you tighten your stomach muscles or push down lightly on your stomach.

Mucus-Clearing Techniques

Buildup of mucus is one of the most consistent symptoms experienced by those with COPD. Not only does excess mucus often lead to chronic coughing and shortness of breath, it can even increase your risk of infection. That’s why medical professionals have developed techniques to comfortably clear the lungs.

Controlled Coughing

Controlled coughing is coughing from deep within the lungs, and the technique is designed to save oxygen, loosen mucus and then carry it comfortably through the airways – as opposed to frequent, uncontrolled coughing, which may cause airways to collapse and make breathing very difficult. The technique entails:

Lean slightly forward in a chair with both feet on the floor and arms folded across your stomach.
Inhale slowly through the nose.
Lean forward and breathe out while pressing your arms into your abdomen.
Deliver two or three short, sharp coughs with your mouth slightly open.
Spit out the mucus and slowly inhale through the nose again.

Huff Coughing

The point of this technique is to effectively cough up the mucus that accumulates in your lungs, so the process doesn’t result in fatigue:

While seated, inhale through your mouth slightly more than you would for a normal breath.
Blow the air out in three breaths using your stomach muscles. It may help to make the sounds “ha, ha, ha,” as though you’re trying to fog a mirror.

Postural Drainage

As opposed to coughing techniques, postural drainage is designed to drain the lungs of mucus through proper positioning. Different positions can drain mucus from the front, back or sides of the lungs. The technique is best practiced on an empty stomach, holding each position for five minutes.

Lie in the proper position for the part of the lungs you want to drain – your back for front draining, your front for back drainage and your side for side drainage – with one pillow under your head and two or three under your hips. Place your arms by your head if lying on your stomach.
Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.
Breathe in while pushing your stomach outward.

What Else Can You Do for Your Breathing Ability?

Of course, there’s more you can do on a daily basis to improve your lung function. Whether it’s regular physical exercise, good nutrition, or efforts to improve balance and focus, there are plenty of ways you or others with COPD can work to breathe easier. Some of the options include:

Aerobic exercise, such as walking or riding a stationary bike, to strengthen the heart and lungs
Strengthening exercises, the practice of tightening the upper-body muscles until they tire to strengthen breathing muscles
Stretching exercises, which lengthen muscles and improve flexibility
Eating a healthy diet to maintain energy and keep your immune system strong
Practicing yoga or tai chi, which can improve balance and exercise ability

Exercise Caveats

It’s always wise to consult a doctor before embarking on a new exercise regimen with COPD. You would do well to avoid activities that might put excessive strain on you, including heavy lifting, isometric exercises, climbing steep hills and exercising outdoors in very hot or cold weather. And be sure to stop if you experience dizziness, irregular heartbeat, nausea, pain, rapid heartbeat, severe shortness of breath or weakness.

Get Help from a Pro

If you suffer from COPD and are worried about ending up in the hospital, we at ViaQuest may be able to help. ViaQuest Hospice offers all the health care COPD patients might expect from the hospital right in the comfort of your own home. And because we accept Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurances, it’s highly likely to be entirely cost-covered.

Pollution Solutions

Posted on May 13, 2021February 16, 2022 by ViaQuest

10 Ways to Cut Down on Air Pollution in Your Home

One of the defining characteristics of COPD, CHF and similar conditions is the breathing difficulties they cause. People who suffer from these conditions have to put much more effort into breathing, which may result in shortness of breath, fatigue or a variety of other symptoms.

It certainly doesn’t help, then, when air quality problems at home exacerbate the issue. Indoor air pollution may be caused by any number of issues, some more obvious than others, and it’s approximately three times worse than outdoor air pollution. We took a look at the problems and came up with some of the best solutions for ensuring the air in your house doesn’t worsen your COPD.

Where There’s Smoke…

By this point, we all know about the damage cigarette smoke inflicts upon the lungs, so there’s probably no need to belabor that point. But this kind of smoke is more insidious than you might suspect. Obviously, if you want to maintain good indoor air quality, you shouldn’t smoke in the house – but even if you smoke outdoors, you can bring chemicals and particulates back in the house on your clothes as third-hand smoke. Then it can settle in carpeting or fabric, causing problems over time. And, yes, the same worries apply to vaping.

And although the mind naturally goes to cigarettes when the topic is harmful smoke, they’re not the only culprits. Building a fire in the fireplace also releases soot and smoke into the air. The same goes for cooking at high temperatures, so consider lower temperatures when possible.

Ventilate!

The first suggestion on this one is pretty easy: Bring in fresh air from the outside. Open windows and doors – one room at a time, if you’re worried about temperature – and use window and attic fans if possible. You can also use a window air conditioning unit with the vent control open, as well as portable and ceiling fans. This is especially important if you’re going to be engaging in high-pollutant activities such as painting or sanding (and can’t just do those things outdoors).

You can also take advantage of other built-in fans. Make judicious use of bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans, particularly when it comes to gas stoves, and check to make sure they work properly. Make sure your dryer vents to the outside as well.

Keep Things Clean …

Chemicals and allergens can accumulate in dust over the course of decades, so keeping dust to a minimum is an important step in keeping the air in your home as clean as possible. Use a vacuum with rotating brushes and a HEPA filter to make sure you do a thorough job. Dust judiciously, and consider using microfiber dusting cloths rather than cotton. Be sure to check out difficult-to-reach areas. And if you don’t have carpet, mop regularly, too – but use water rather than strong soaps.

Some other cleanliness suggestions? Keep trash covered and contained, reducing unpleasant aromas. The same goes for food – it may not give off bad smells, but it can attract bugs if left out, and bug infestations often necessitate use of harsh chemicals.

… But Not Too Clean

A clean home may have better air quality than a dirty home, but how you clean is important. A lot of cleaning products are made with harsh chemicals, which can irritate the lungs, nose, mouth and skin. That includes soaps and cleansers you might use on floors, counters and bathroom surfaces. There are homemade solutions that may be much less irritating – water, lemon, vinegar, bicarbonate soda, etc. A combination of baking soda and sliced lemon can give you a clean kitchen scent without all the chemicals.

You should also pay attention to the way you clean your clothing, as scented laundry products – such as – can irritate. That includes detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Even lingering dry cleaning chemicals may have a negative effect.

The Facts About Fabric

It may not be a problem you can solve in a day, but carpet is a big offender when it comes to indoor air pollution. Dust, particulates and other noxious problems can accumulate in carpeting, making air quality worse over time. If you have carpet, and you’re given the opportunity to replace it with another flooring material, it’s probably worth taking!

A quicker solution is to keep those particulates from getting inside in the first place. If you don’t have a no-shoes-in-the-house rule, establish one – or at least put down a welcome mat so people can wipe their feet before they walk on anything else. Particles can also settle in bedding, so it’s recommended that you wash bedding weekly, using hot water.

Good Sense on Scents

The tools we use to cover up unpleasant odors can sometimes cause more trouble than the odors themselves. Scented candles, incense, air fresheners and perfumes may smell nice, but they also release particulates into the air. Instead of trying to cover up an aroma you don’t like, focus on getting rid of the source of that aroma.

Don’t Give Mold a Chance

Nobody needs to be told that mold in the home is bad for air quality (and everything else!). Mold thrives in moisture, so take steps to reduce humidity in the house – 30% to 50% humidity is generally recommended – through use of a dehumidifier or air conditioning unit. Be sure to regularly empty the drip pans in both, though. If you find any water leaks, get those taken care of right away, and be sure to check the roof and window frames after heavy rainfall. And, of course, mold has an easier time getting a foothold when it goes undetected – so clean up clutter, giving it fewer places to hide.

Get Your Dander Up (and Out)

Even if you’re not allergic to pet dander, it can still clog the air and make it more difficult to breathe. Bathing pets regularly significantly reduces the amount of dander they release into the air, so that should be part of your routine.

Air Purification

There are products on the market designed to clean and purify the air in your house. If you’re going to use an air purifier, you should make sure you use one with a HEPA filter – otherwise, it might create as many problems as it solves. Some air purifiers are far more effective than others, so do some homework before you pick one.

There’s a more natural option for purifying your air: houseplants. Some types of plants can reduce the levels of harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde, in the home. Just be careful not to overwater them, though, as this will bring excess moisture.

Inspect the Uninspected

There are some air pollutants that you’re not likely to notice on your own. In these cases, it’s wise to retain the services of a professional. Have your HVAC systems checked regularly, and replace the filters regularly while you’re at it. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., so a radon inspection is probably also worth your time. Gas appliances should be checked annually by a gas engineer to ensure they’re working properly as well.

Get Help with the Harder Tasks

The unfortunate truth is that, for many people with COPD and CHF, a lot of this information isn’t new. The tricky part isn’t knowing what to do, it’s being able to do it. If you have COPD or CHF, you may qualify for ViaQuest Hospice, giving you access to hospital-level care in the comfort of your own home. Doctors, respiratory therapists, social workers, home health aides, volunteers and 24/7 on-call nurses are all part of the program, and are all available to ViaQuest Hospice patients – often at no cost, as we accept Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurances.

Think ViaQuest Hospice might be a good choice for you or a loved one? Contact us to find out more, or take our quiz to find out whether you qualify!