Photo Credit: Kuzma / istockphoto.com
4. Social Support
One of the most important aspects of pulmonary rehab is the team that’s with you each step of the way. These are people who understand your challenges, know how best to clear the hurdles, and are eager to lend a caring and compassionate hand, ear or shoulder to cry on. When you feel like none of your friends and family can really understand how your COPD is affecting your life, you can turn to your pulmonary rehab team for the social support you need to stay on track and believe in yourself.
In some programs, there is an opportunity to interact with other COPD patients, which can provide a welcome distraction from your symptoms and an opportunity to learn other coping techniques. If not, your team may be able to connect you with a good support group.
Resources
NCBI (Mortality and mortality-related factors after hospitalization for acute exacerbation of COPD)WebMD (Pulmonary Rehabilitation for COPD)COPD Foundation (What is Pulmonary Rehabilitation?)Patient.info (Pulmonary Rehabilitation)
Small steps, reasonable expectations, and a healthy mindset are the keys to making New Year's resolutions for people with COPD.
