Blog > Four Things to Remember about COPD as a Caregiver

Four Things to Remember about COPD as a Caregiver

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a complex ailment. It changes your senior’s life in ways that she may not fully understand yet. As her caregiver, it’s going to be up to you to help her to learn how to pace herself.

Shortness of Breath and Panic Create a Vicious Cycle

Shortness of breath is a big problem with COPD. The mental effects of shortness of breath are massive. Your elderly family member can quickly become panicked when she has trouble breathing and that panic makes her breathing problems far worse. She’s going to have to learn how to slow her breathing when she starts to experience shortness of breath, which is completely contrary to what her body wants to do.

She Can’t Keep Overdoing It

Lots of people with COPD feel as if they can still do all the things they used to do. They might be right, at least to a certain extent. Your senior may still be able to do all of her favorite activities, but she can’t keep overdoing it or pushing herself. That is going to catch up with her a lot more quickly now than it ever has in the past and she’ll suffer for that decision later.

Your Senior Needs to Slow Down

The bottom line is that everything in your senior’s life needs to slow down. She might have been the fast walker and the fast talker in the past, but now that needs to change. In fact, it’s helpful if she can learn to let you and other people step in more often and help. Mindfulness practice can help with this. As your senior focuses on what she’s doing in a mindful manner, she naturally slows down and gives her body the time it needs. This isn’t easy for most people, but it’s crucial.

Lung Infections Can Crop up Super Fast

People with COPD are much more susceptible to lung infections, including pneumonia. If your elderly family member has experienced pneumonia in the past, she’s even more likely to get it in the future, too. It’s really important to focus on hygiene, particularly handwashing, in order to control germs. Your senior should also talk to her doctor about vaccines, especially pneumonia and flu shots.

Your senior’s life isn’t over now that she has COPD, but her approach needs to be a little different. She can learn to work with the new normal that COPD dictates, but she may need to be patient with herself.