The Important Role of Caregivers

This article was written by Jonnie Korinko, MSRC, RRT, RRT-ACCS.

COPD can make it hard to breathe.¹ Caring for someone with COPD means helping them with daily tasks and their medical needs. It also means watching for early signs that their symptoms are getting worse. If people wait too long to get treatment, COPD symptoms can get worse.² Caregivers can help stop delays in care and improve their loved one's treatment by noticing changes in that person's breathing, coughing, or energy level.

Common COPD Symptoms

Common symptoms of COPD include:

• coughing and wheezing during the day.
• having a hard time breathing with daily tasks.
• having lots of mucus in the chest.³

When COPD symptoms get worse, flare-ups can happen more often. When people with COPD have a flare-up, breathing is harder. They may have more mucus in their chest than normal. Some people never get back to normal after a flare-up.¹

How Caregivers Can Spot the Early Signs

Caregivers can see early signs of a flare-up. Changes in breathing, mood, or daily habits may let you know that a flare-up is near. Here are some clues caregivers can watch for:

• Watch the patient's breathing patterns every day for changes.
• Look for signs of tiredness or irritability.
• Look for changes in sleep patterns or appetite.
• Keeping track of how often medications are used and if they are helping.

Watch for early signs of symptoms. This can help get treatment quickly before the symptoms get worse.

Steps for Caregivers when Symptoms Get Worse

It can be scary when a loved one has a flare-up. Getting reading ahead of time may lessen stress. Here are a few ways to support a loved one who has new or worsening COPD symptoms:

• Urge them to see a health care provider right away.
• Keep a COPD action plan handy and know when to act.
• Have a plan for severe exacerbations.

Margaret Equopi Bate is an advocate and caregiver in the COPD community. She says that when COPD symptoms get worse, caregivers should "Go back to (your) toolbox. What do I do when the oxygen has decreased? What did the medical team suggest we do or prescribe?"

Tools for Caregivers

• The COPD Foundation Podcast: In our latest episode, we talk with a pulmonologist and a caregiver for someone with COPD. The episode shows how important caregivers are in helping manage worsening COPD.
• Learn More Breathe Better® and Respiratory Health Association's Caregiver's Toolkit: This website has booklets and videos to help caregivers understand COPD and prepare for emergencies. It also has tips on self-care!
• COPD360Social: This online community helps people with COPD and their caregivers connect with others facing similar challenges. Health care professionals, including specialists, registered nurses, and respiratory therapists from the COPD Foundation, moderate the community.

Margaret gives advice to caregivers in the COPD community. "My advice to other caregivers is that there is more hope today for people with COPD, there's more resources for caregivers… We have to empower our loved ones by helping them manage their condition."

Resources

1. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global strategy for prevention, diagnosis and management of COPD: 2024 Report. [accessed 2024 Oct]. Available from: https://goldcopd.org/2024-gold-report/
2. Locke ER, Young JP, Battaglia C, et al. Care-seeking and delay of care during COPD exacerbations [published correction appears in NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2022 Apr 24;32(1):16. doi: 10.1038/s41533-022-00279-7]. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2022;32(1):7. Published 2022 Feb 15. doi:10.1038/s41533-022-00269-9
3. About COPD. cdc.gov. Updated May 15, 2024. Accessed October 22, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/copd/about/index.html