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Author: Home Helpers Home Care

Senior Care in West Hills, CA and Surrounding Areas

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, affects millions of seniors throughout the world. Breathing problems, fatigue, coughing, and other symptoms make life more challenging. National COPD Awareness Month occurs every November and it’s a time to look at ways to make a difference for aging adults who live with COPD. Home care assistance is one solution that can help seniors lead healthier and more independent lives.

What Is COPD?

COPD is a blanket term for a group of lung diseases that are progressive and life-limiting in nature. The diseases included in COPD include chronic bronchitis and emphysema, both of which cause breathing-related issues and problems with airflow. Seniors tend to experience shortness of breath, chronic cough, and trouble engaging in physical activities. Patients may need a variety of treatments to manage COPD effectively. 

Challenges of Life with COPD

Seniors with COPD can find even basic daily tasks overwhelming. Simple activities like cooking, cleaning, walking short distances, and more can very quickly lead to breathlessness and fatigue. This causes seniors to limit their activities and they may stop going to social engagements and doing other things they used to do.

Daily Tasks and Household Chores

Dust, chemicals, and smoke are common triggers for people with COPD. Home care providers can help seniors to stay on top of light housekeeping tasks so that their exposure to household triggers is reduced a bit. Seniors can also conserve that energy for tasks that they need and want to handle on their own.

Mobility and Fall Prevention

Some patients with COPD, especially as the disease progresses further, experience physical weakness, dizziness, and other symptoms that make a fall more likely. Home care assistance can offer support with mobility and help seniors remember to use mobility aids consistently. They can also help family caregivers to stay on top of safety plans, adjusting them as needs and abilities change.

Encouraging a Healthier Lifestyle

Life with COPD often means that seniors need to make some lifestyle changes to slow down the progression of their illness. Even though physical activity may be more difficult, doctors often recommend that seniors start an exercise plan to build their strength and endurance. Home care providers can help seniors adopt routines that support those goals. They can also help aging adults eat healthier meals more often.

Emotional and Mental Support

Life with COPD is often very different than seniors expected their lives would be at this stage. That can lead to anxiety, depression, feeling isolated, and feeling loss because of the differences between expectation and reality. Home care assistance is there to help with daily tasks and needs, but professional caregivers also know what it’s like for seniors to deal with this new reality. They can offer emotional support that seniors need in order to cope.

Home care assistance can be a lifeline for seniors with COPD and for the family caregivers who love them. With the right support systems in place, COPD doesn’t have to be as debilitating as it can be without enough support on a daily basis.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care assistance in West Hills, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers Home Care of Ventura County today at (805) 386-1031.

Home Helpers Home Care of Ventura County provides exceptional home care for seniors in Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Ventura, Camarillo, Simi Valley, Agoura, West Hills, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Topanga and surrounding areas.