Things You Can Do to Help Those With COPD

COPD makes breathing difficult, and bending over can affect our breathing as it might not let our lungs expand to their total capacity. This can make daily tasks very difficult.

How can you help someone with COPD?

If you know someone with COPD, there are a few things that you can do to make their life easier.

Home and yard maintenance

This is something that you or someone else could do, as the yard may be overgrown and challenging for the homeowners to do. How wonderful it would be if you could mow it for them.

Maybe you could even hire someone to mow or haul the grass if you aren't able to do it for them. What a wonderful gift for the homeowner.

House cleaning

Dust the furniture, vacuum carpets, sweep and scrub mop floors, and change bedding. A person doesn’t realize how difficult it is for those with shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, COPD, another lung disease, or even a bad back.

If you can't help, find someone that can. Is your loved one getting social security?

You could call social services for them and find out if they qualify to have someone come in to help them clean, etc.

Helping with meals

Does your loved one cook? Is it difficult for them? Is there possibly a Meals on Wheels or a similar program in your town?

Social Services is likely the place to call to find out. They can direct you if someone else should be the contact and give you the qualifications, the days and times of meal deliveries. This can be so helpful.

Helping with transportation

Can they drive? If not, is there public or medical transportation to the clinic or doctor? How wonderful to provide a ride for them or to set it up so they can have this necessary ride.

Help them with self-care

Offer to go to their residence while he or she showers or bathes.

It’s reassuring, especially if the person feels weak or tends to fall, knowing someone is there to help them if something happens.

You could surprise this person with new pajamas, slippers, or a terry cloth robe.

Be their emergency contact

Does he or she have a phone? Preferably a cell phone that can be carried with them if needed. Put your name, or whoever should be contacted in an emergency, under the emergency contact.

A while back, I accidentally hit emergency contact on my phone.

My phone was locked, and I couldn't turn it off. Neither my husband nor I could stop the page.

It went right to dispatch and to his phone. My husband had to give the okay to release the call.

He's in law enforcement and knows the dispatchers and other officers.

Don't push the button just to test it; use it only as needed for emergencies.

If possible, in an emergency, dial 911. For a non-emergent call, check the local number you call for police or whomever.

Emergency contacts are so good to have.

I encourage anyone who tends to fall or has other health issues to put a trusted contact on their cell phone. I was happy yet very embarrassed to find out it worked.

Help get them signed up with Life Alert

With this, push a button, and someone from Life Alert will respond to you right away. They can help by getting information about the reason for the call and if there are serious life issues.

You can get a button that hangs around the neck like a necklace to be used if needed. There is a button that hangs in the shower in case you need help right away.

When you are away from home, you can press a button that will activate the GPS and tell Life Alert and your emergency contact where you are. With Life Alert, you can purchase one plan or all three. I know this one because we used this for my mom.

Other medical alert systems that you could look into

I am unfamiliar with these. However, there are testimonials on the different companies' alert systems. Hopefully, someone will have heard of them.

Here are the ones that I found online. Since no one I know has used these, I do not give qualified to recommend or not to recommend any of these. If there is one that you know about, please let us know.

• Medical Guardian
• Mobile Help
• Medical Alert
• One Call Alert
• Life Station
• Unaliwear
• Life Fone

Hopefully, this helped you and will help the person/s that means so much to you. Know that we are here for you in our community.