home hospital - ViaQuest

6 Ways ViaQuest Hospice Program Keep You Out of the Hospital

No one is ever enthusiastic about the idea of going to the hospital. But in the era of COVID-19, a trip to the hospital has potential to cause more than just inconvenience – especially for people with COPD or CHF.

A trip to the hospital has always carried some risk of infection, and that risk has increased considerably due to the prevalence of COVID-19. Staying out of the hospital means staying away from an area with higher CHF and COPD COVID risk, and with the ViaQuest Hospice, you need not miss out on any essential services.

“Say a patient goes to the hospital for an exacerbation. The patient will be tested for COVID, likely due to them complaining of cough and shortness of breath,” says Hannah Cunningham, respiratory therapist for ViaQuest. “COVID comes out negative, but exacerbation is bad enough that the patient needs admitted. As much as most of us like to think the hospital is the most sterile place to be, unfortunately, that is not always the case.”

There’s no need to delay hospital visits for things such as blood work, testing or rehab when those things come directly to you. On top of that, the ViaQuest Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance, so there’s no worrying about costly tests or ambulance rides.

It’s Available Whenever You Need it

The hospital never closes for the night, and neither does our home health care for COPD patients. A commitment to 24/7 on-call nursing services means that, no matter when you feel an exacerbation or other complication coming on, you can get the medical assistance you need.

Everything Is Tailored to Your Needs

The ViaQuest team works closely with patients who qualify, as well as their families and primary physicians, to devise an individualized COPD home care plan. Physicians, nurses, home health aides, social workers, therapists, chaplains and volunteers all contribute to your care, creating a dedicated support system meant to keep you healthy at home.

“I try to make each experience individualized to the patient,” Cunningham says. “I look at their medication regimen and daily routine, and offer recommendations to help with their breathing. This gives a more personal touch, and I can spend as much time with them as needed, versus at the hospital where it is busy and the wait may be hours.”

It Has Everything You Might Need in a Physical Hospital

Advances in technology make it possible for the ViaQuest Hospice to bring all the relevant resources directly to you. In addition to standard supplies, the program can also bring medication and equipment to relieve an exacerbation. Equipment available includes:

Oxygen
Oxygen supplies
Nebulizers
Nebulizer supplies
CPAP
BIPAP
Adaptive devices such as walkers, shower chairs and hospital beds

It Keeps Stress Levels Down

The prospect of going to the hospital for an exacerbation can trigger stress and anxiety – and stress and anxiety can trigger, or worsen, an exacerbation. ViaQuest Hospice breaks the cycle by removing that risky trip from the equation. Our team can also help patients understand new symptoms, helping them better decide what warrants further care or treatment. And it isn’t just patients who benefit; family members and caregivers have less to fret about, too, knowing that support is on the schedule or just one call away.

“It also helps keep the patient indoors during extreme cold and hot weather conditions that can trigger an exacerbation,” Cunningham says.

It Helps You Get Proactive

Most people with COPD, CHF or similar conditions know the importance of breathing techniques to help regulate symptoms. As part of our customized care plans, the our team will teach exercises that make sense for you specifically, including breathing treatments and coughing exercises.

Small Changes Add Up

In addition to social workers and medical professionals, the ViaQuest employs home health aides who can help with household tasks that prove difficult or dangerous for patients. That means small meal preparation, personal hygiene and light cleaning – including cleaning of equipment such as nebulizers, cannulas, oxygen concentrators and beyond. That keeps the equipment in optimal condition, which lowers the chances of problems down the road.

Stay Safe at Home with ViaQuest Hospice

Our services provide a means for COPD and CHF patients, as well as individuals with other illnesses, to access health resources and services without having to make a trip to the brick-and-mortar hospital. If you think this service would make a positive difference in your life, reach out to us today to learn more about signing up for it.

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.

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