Basics for Caregivers: Equipment

There will be an increasing number of pieces of equipment as your patient progresses. As each piece is added, it is important to think about your patient. Not only is there a new piece of equipment, but there was a reason that it was added.

Show compassion to your loved one

I do not know of anyone with COPD that is excited to bring home a new piece of equipment. They will never look at it like the latest phone or computer. It will be another mile marker in their journey.

Encourage them, but also understand the adjustment

It is important to show compassion as you both are learning how to use it. Maybe your loved one is not wearing the oxygen as much as they should. Maybe the Bi-PAP is just collecting dust on the table. Whatever it might be, it is your job as the caregiver to encourage. Encourage the oxygen use as prescribed. Encourage taking treatments from a nebulizer instead of puffs off of an inhaler. Encourage using the Bi-PAP or C-PAP as often as prescribed. These tools have been given for a reason, to help them breathe.

Commonly used equipment for COPD patients

Oxygen

The oxygen may have a stigma attached to it for your patient. Maybe it is something that they used to make jokes about to their friends, or maybe they feel like if they use it, they are giving into the disease.

My mom probably went about 6 months to a year past what she should have gone without oxygen. I remember many conversations later in her journey that she mentioned that she wished she would have used her oxygen as it was prescribed. She knew that she could have done more in the early years, if she would have just used her oxygen. As she got further into the disease, the limitations were greater, and she was physically unable to do things even with oxygen.

There have been many advances since my mom first started using oxygen. There are small, portable concentrators that can make a day trip so much easier than what we were able to do. Just don't forget your back-ups.

Nebulizers

In some of the early stages you may only be dealing with inhalers, but as things progress, you will be using a nebulizer to help the medicine reach deeper into the lungs. There is one major "problem" with a nebulizer. It takes time.

My mom hated the amount of time that she spent taking breathing treatments, but she also could not survive without them. It became a love/hate relationship.

Rolling walkers

Here is one that you might not be thinking about, but I highly recommend it. My mom fought this one so hard. It took a while, even after she had one, to realize what a help it really is. These provide stability, rest and a place to store your stuff. There I said it! No longer did we have to figure out who was carrying the pocket book, the oxygen, her ever present drink cup and hold her arm to keep her steady. Once she realized all that, plus she could help again by maybe carrying our small diaper bag in the basket, a whole new world opened up to her.

She really didn't use it much around the house until the last year, but her doctor encouraged it even at home. Her doctor kept saying, "We have enough to deal with. We don't need a broken hip too!"

Get yourself familiar with the equipment

There will be oxygen concentrators, tanks, liquid oxygen, nebulizers, Bi-PAP machines, and the list could go on. You need a good understanding of how they work. Don’t skip class on this, so to speak. Having a good understanding can be the difference between a wonderful day and a trip to the hospital.