Senior Home Care Tips on Managing COPD Triggers

Senior Home Care Tips on Managing COPD Triggers

 October 26, 2023

A person is taking a drink from a glass

People who have COPD struggle to breathe and tend to experience a ton of other side effects because of that problem. They experience shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, wheezing, and more every day. Dealing with the triggers that make COPD worse can help to reduce the impact of COPD on the person who has it. One answer is to hire senior home care professionals to help manage some of these problems.

Top COPD Triggers

Lots of different things can trigger COPD exacerbations to occur. Cold can be a big trigger for a lot of COPD sufferers, but so can heat and even humidity. All of these environmental conditions affect air quality and the ability for someone to breathe. Another air quality issue is air pollution, including smog and irritants like pollen, dust, pet dander, and chemicals in the air. Smoking or being around second-hand smoke is a huge trigger, too. It isn’t always possible to avoid COPD triggers, but doing as much as possible is important.

Try Breathing Exercises

A variety of different breathing exercises can help seniors to strengthen their lungs and to reduce the impact of COPD triggers on their daily lives. Pursed lip breathing, deep breathing, and diaphragmatic breathing are just a few of the options. It might be a good idea for seniors to talk to their pulmonologists about how to do these exercises properly to get the most benefit out of them. Doing these exercises regularly can make a huge difference.

Conserve Energy

Because of how COPD affects seniors, fatigue is a huge problem. Conservation of energy means that seniors are doing whatever they can to be wise with the energy they’re expending. By doing this, they may be able to do more of the things they want to do. People with COPD often need more rest than they ever did before. This can also mean that they need a little more help with tasks. Senior home care providers can make it easier for seniors with COPD to be able to rest and still have the quality of life that they need and want.

Eat the Healthiest Diet Possible

People with COPD burn an astonishing amount of calories just by going through their daily lives. That means that they need to eat a nutrient-rich diet and get the healthiest foods into them that they possibly can. Senior home care providers can help with this goal by making meals that are easy to eat and that are nutritious, too.

Get Some Extra Assistance

Senior home care providers offer tons of help for seniors on a daily basis. They can help with household tasks, personal care tasks, transportation, and more. They allow seniors with COPD to rest and to have all of their needs met as much as possible. Having that help sooner ensures that seniors with COPD aren’t wearing themselves out too much.

COPD is challenging, but minimizing the effect of COPD triggers and finding solutions that help makes all the difference. Working with solutions like senior home care professionals can help even more.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Senior Home Care in Bloomfield, PA, please contact the caring staff at In-Home Quality Care today. Serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area since 1990! Call 412-421-5202