Help COPD Patients with Home Health Care

Did you know that proper home health care effectively treats chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD patients? More than 15.7 million Americans live with COPD and prefer to receive treatment from a home health care professional, an inexpensive alternative to hospital admission. If you live with this chronic disease or know someone who has it, home health care may be the right option to develop a treatment plan and manage it.

What Services Do Home Health Care Provide?

A home health care team comes with a wide range of services for COPD patients. Your home health care professional will work with the doctor to create a treatment plan to manage the symptoms, which includes:

● Oxygen therapy, Physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.

● Education on breathing exercises, self-caring, and medications.

● Identifying flare-ups and managing them.

● Instruction on medical equipment, keeping the air quality clean, and conserving energy.

● Tools to help you manage your COPD symptoms as needed.

● Education and include home caregivers in your COPD treatment plan.

What are Home Health Care Goals?

A home health care professional’s goals mainly focus on:

● Improving your ability to manage care and stay active.

● Improving your quality of life and overall health.

● Help you retain independence.

● Help create a positive attitude regarding managing the disease.

● Minimize the chance of going to hospitals.

● Prevent and treat COPD flare-ups.

● Create a safe and healthy home environment.

Can Home Health Care COPD Program Help You?

For any patients living with this chronic disease, a home health care COPD program can help with:

● Frequent flare-ups require bronchodilators, steroids, or antibiotics to manage the symptoms.

● Experiencing short breaths prevents you from performing regular activities.

● Fatigue and weakness due to COPD.

● Difficulty taking medications, including inhalers.

● And needing a treatment plan to keep COPD flare-ups in check.

Your home health care professional can help by working with your doctor to manage your COPD symptoms and keep you independent at home.

When to Get Home Health Care for COPD?

Early diagnosis and an effective COPD treatment plan can help slow down this disease and improve your quality of life and health. Experiencing any of the below COPD symptoms it is recommended to contact your doctor:

● Shortness of breath that is becoming frequent or worse.

● Changes to your mucus thickness, odor, color, and amount.

● Coughing or wheezing.

● Weakness or fatigue.

● Swelling in your legs, feet, or ankles.

● Confusion, restlessness, irritability, or forgetfulness.

● Fever, flu, or cold symptoms.

● Frequent headaches or dizziness.

● Unable to explain weight gain or loss.

How to Manage COPD Self-Care Plan?

A home health care professional will work with COPD patients to create a treatment plan to manage the symptoms. These treatment plans aim to help the patients stay at home as long as possible and reduce the chance of having to be hospitalized. A COPD self-care plan includes:

● Monitor your oxygen level, heart rate, and blood pressure.

● Daily check for symptoms and prevent flare-ups.

● Action plan to manage the symptoms.

● Avoiding smoking.

● Clearing your lungs using controlled coughing.

● Avoiding things that can cause COPD flare-ups such as smoke, dust, mold, chemicals, and mildew.

● Maintaining a healthy diet.

● Utilizing medications like inhalers, oxygen machines, and nebulizers.

Conclusion

Living with COPD does not have to destabilize the quality of life. With proper self-care and an effective treatment plan, a home health care professional from Visiting Angels will help improve COPD patients’ vitality. If you have or know someone experiencing any of the COPD symptoms above, talk with a doctor about home health care to develop an action plan and start managing it today.