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Tips for Caring for a Senior with COPD

Elderly Care in Cumming GA: Tips for Caring for a Senior with COPD

If you are a family caregiver, you know how important it is that you give seniors the level of care that they need to handle COPD and protect their health. The care and support that you give to your parent can help them to maintain better health and well-being, and continue to pursue a quality of life that is active, engaged, and fulfilling as they age in place.

 

Use these tips to help you care for a senior who is living with COPD:

  • Help your parent learn breathing techniques that help your aging parent to get the breath that they need more efficiently for each activity that they are doing throughout the day, and to help them feel more in control if they feel short of breath.
  • Encourage your parent to clear their airways of excess mucus regularly. This can be accomplished through controlled coughing, use of a humidifier, and drinking water regularly.
  • Increase physical activity throughout their care routine to strengthen their respiratory system and help to remove mucus.
  • Serve a healthy diet that will give them everything that they need for their body to thrive and stay strong and healthy.
  • Talk to your parent’s doctor about how to help them lose a few pounds if they are overweight. This can take strain off of their respiratory system and help them breathe better, particularly during times of exertion.

 

If your aging parent has been diagnosed with COPD or is at elevated risk for this condition, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elderly care for them. An elderly home care services provider can be with your aging parent on a customized schedule designed not just to address your loved one’s COPD symptoms or risk, but their other individual challenges, needs, and limitations, as well as their desire for independence, activity, and engagement. This can help your parent to live a lifestyle that is fulfilling and enjoyable even as they deal with the consequences of their health conditions. This can include helping them to understand the health condition that they are dealing with as well as the instructions that were given to them by their doctor. They can then provide reminders to help them remain compliant with their medications and treatments, and encouragement to make the lifestyle decisions that are right for their disease and their individual needs. This care provider can also be a valuable source of support and monitoring for your aging parent. They can observe your parent’s symptoms and let you know if they see that your loved one is suffering from new or worsened symptoms so that you can make the decisions regarding their future healthcare that are right for them. As a family caregiver this can give you reassurance that your parent will be as safe, healthy, and comfortable as possible as they age in place both when you are able to be with them and when you are not.

 

The staff at Home Care Matters is available to talk with you and your family about all of your needs. Home Care Matters is a home care agency providing quality and affordable elderly care in Cumming, GA and the surrounding areas. Call (678) 828-2195 for more information.

 

Sources:

http://www.healthline.com/health/copd/facts-statistics-infographic

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/home/ovc-20204882

http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

https://www.copdfoundation.org/What-is-COPD/Understanding-COPD/What-is-COPD.aspx

 

Valerie Darling

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