Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be difficult, especially during the later stages of the illness. We know it can be equally challenging for caregivers, but you don’t have to face the challenges alone.

Hospice care for COPD provides an extra layer of support for managing the symptoms of the disease. It improves the quality of life for patients and their families by addressing social, spiritual, and practical issues. Call 833.380.9583 to speak with someone from Compassus about our palliative care for COPD and how it supports hospice services, providing extra help when it’s needed most.

Easing the Symptoms of COPD

Flare-ups during late-stage COPD can result in frequent hospitalizations and worries about the future. Patients and their families are often under-supported during this time of need. Fortunately, Compassus hospice and palliative care for late-stage COPD help ease the symptoms of the disease.

Shortness of Breath

Patients with end-stage COPD often tell us that extreme dyspnea, or shortness of breath, contributes most to their distress and poor quality of life. We work together with doctors to manage dyspnea through the following:

Oxygen therapy
Breathing exercises
Relaxation techniques
Medications
Body positioning while sitting or sleeping

In addition, we also provide support and education for caregivers not affiliated with our company but still within a patient’s care team.

Getting the Right Medicine at the Right Time

When treating symptoms associated with COPD, prescribing more medications is not always better. Choosing the appropriate COPD medication delivery system, learning more about the proper medications for symptom management, and focusing on preventing COPD exacerbations are all well understood by palliative care and hospice providers.

Managing Pain and Anxiety

Patients with COPD have good days and bad days, but pain medication works best on a regular schedule to stay ahead of the pain. Palliative care and hospice providers have extensive experience managing pain associated with COPD.

Reducing Anxiety and Depression

Extreme shortness of breath can have devastating emotional burdens. Symptoms may keep people from the simple joys of life, leading to social isolation.

A lot of anxiety comes from feeling helpless or uncertain about the future. Hospice social workers and chaplains are available to talk and address the most pressing concerns of patients and their families. For diagnosed clinical depression, hospice doctors can offer treatment options coordinated with a patient’s preferences.

What to Expect from Palliative Care for COPD

You may think palliative care is only for someone close to death. This is not true. Palliative care enables you to access the medicine and therapy you need while working to manage symptoms affecting your quality of life.

Palliative care also helps you establish goals for end-of-life care. Accepting the limits of treatment for COPD is difficult. There is no cure for COPD, but families often miss the benefits of early comfort care because they wait until a medical crisis. Palliative care should begin whenever a life-limiting diagnosis is made.

What to Expect from Hospice Care for COPD

Patients who choose hospice typically have advanced cases, such as late-stage COPD, and want to avoid unnecessary or aggressive medical treatments. Compassus end-of-life support for both patients and families includes the following:

Care to reduce episodes of distress and unwanted hospitalizations
Managing depression and anxiety to a level that meets your goals
Nurses available 24/7
Pre-emergency plans
Comfort care at home, nursing home, or wherever the patient lives
Respite care for family caregivers
Hospice aides for personal care and homemaker services
Hospice social workers to help with transitions in care
Hospice chaplain for spiritual care and support
Hospice volunteers for companionship and support

At Compassus, we empower patients and families to control their end-of-life decisions. Hospice and palliative care can address a patient’s mental, social, and spiritual needs. In fact, hospice is a type of palliative care during the final stage of life.

Find Care for Late-Stage COPD with Compassus

Compassus recognizes the importance of providing comfort and support to people with late-stage COPD. We focus on helping patients make their final days meaningful and peaceful. Contact Compassus today at 833.380.9583 to learn more about hospice and palliative care for late-stage COPD.

Hospice and Palliative Care for Late-Stage COPD