Home Care in Garner NC
Loved ones who have been diagnosed with COPD may also have something called pulmonary therapy or pulmonary rehab prescribed by their doctor. Some loved ones resist this type of program, 
however, and opt not to take advantage of it.
What Pulmonary Rehabilitation Does
Pulmonary rehabilitation or therapy helps your loved one learn to minimize his symptoms of COPD. He can gain strength in his lungs, learn how to exercise even with COPD, and reduce the frequency of doctor and hospital visits due to exacerbations. If your loved one feels disabled or that his independence is missing now that he’s been diagnosed with COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation can help him to regain his independence and his abilities.
Benefits for Your Loved One from Pulmonary Rehab
The biggest benefit to your loved one from engaging in pulmonary rehab is the improved quality of his life that he’ll experience. He’ll know exactly what to do if his lungs are feeling weak or impaired and he’ll have stronger lungs overall. Your loved one will feel empowered by learning how to exercise properly. It’s also possible that he’ll have less overall anxiety about having COPD.
Get to the Heart of the Resistance
Overcoming objections to pulmonary therapy is easier if you can understand why your loved one is resistant to it in the first place. Your loved one might be embarrassed or even feel that pulmonary therapy isn’t for him. Typically these programs are not permanent, so it could also be that your loved one thinks that he couldn’t possibly learn enough in a few weeks to make a difference. Make an effort to learn what your loved one fears or worries about so that you can resolve those objections.
Start with a Modified Version
One thing that you can do with the help of your loved one’s doctor is to begin with a modified version of pulmonary rehabilitation. Try going to just one or two appointments without a commitment and see how that feels for your loved one. If he realizes that this can help him a great deal, your loved one may continue on with the treatment. If he still resists, he’s at least got a little bit of experience with pulmonary therapy under his belt.
When you do finally have a plan, make sure that your loved one’s doctor, home care providers, and other family members who help out all have access to the plan as well.
