For clients with COPD, asthma, emphysema, and other respiratory conditions, we assist with activities that can overexert them. We also provide household help to minimize their exposure to dust, fumes, toxins, and other debilitating triggers.
Ease Breathing
There’s nothing scarier than not being able to breathe, especially when you spend a lot of time alone. Frequent visits from a Karma Care caregiver are comforting and helpful to in-home care seniors with COPD and other respiratory illnesses. To help improve air intake, we can adjust oxygen masks and reposition clients for better airflow and comfort. Regular pulmonary home care services include setting up and monitoring BiPAP or CPAP machines, but we can also clean them to reduce impurities and bronchial infection. Our skilled nurses are also available for additional home care for COPD patients.
Keep a Clean Environment
When breathing is hard, it’s important to minimize avoidable environmental triggers. We can help with cleaning air filters to maintain general air quality (see below), but our caregivers can also take over the cleaning chores that are most dangerous to seniors with COPD and other respiratory conditions. To protect clients from dust, we can take care of dusting and vacuuming. To save our clients from being trapped in small areas with cleaning fumes, we can disinfect toilets, sinks, and bathtubs. Our caregivers can also help with chores that make clients short of breath. See our Household Help and Food Preparation page for more information.
Activity Assistance
Engagement is vital to well-being and contentment. To ease anxiety around activities that are becoming more difficult, we are companions, listeners, readers, and hobby helpers. It’s important to us that seniors with COPD and other pulmonary conditions don’t stop doing the things they love. Visit our Recreational Activities page to see how we help clients maintain the lives they value.
Maintain Good Air Quality
To minimize airborne particles and ensure tolerable humidity levels, we can help clients manage the systems in their home that should be keeping them safe. When dust and mold hide in air systems, they recirculate in the home and make breathing more difficult. We can check air purifier filters, exhaust fans, dehumidifiers, and other devices to ensure they’re working properly. If there’s something we can’t clean or fix, we can find a service provider with our concierge services.
Learn how our pulmonary home care services can help with these conditions.
Asthma
Asthma is a complicating factor for many seniors with other health issues. We can help clients with simple improvements like managing their exertion levels and repositioning them for better sleep airflow. When asthma attacks occur, we can help with fetching their rescue medication, preparing steam treatments, doing humidifier maintenance, and/or encouraging their bronchial tubes to relax with a warm cup of tea.
Emphysema
Clients with emphysema need caregivers who can recognize when they are out of breath or wheezing and respond with immediate assistance: physical help, oxygen, or medication management. We can take over lifting or exerting activities, decrease stress levels with recreational activities, and help manage the client’s weight with meal planning and preparation help.
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Many seniors suffer from more general respiratory issues, grouped into a “COPD” diagnosis. For COPD home care, we can assist clients with activities that cause shortness of breath, encourage them to slow down when they are coughing or fatigued, and help them alter their daily routines to match their capabilities. Our caregivers can also watch for and report severe symptoms like cyanosis (blueness of the lips or fingernail beds).
