COPD: It’s unfortunately very easy to excuse COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as something else that is a lot less intense.

If your elderly family member is experiencing COPD symptoms for longer than a couple of weeks, it’s important to get the right diagnosis for her.

Early Stages of COPD May Not Be Obvious

For so many people who have COPD, it isn’t until they’re well into the condition that they realize what they’re up against. It’s very easy to excuse the beginning symptoms of COPD as chronic allergies, a cold, or as something else, like an upper respiratory infection. But if your elderly family member is experiencing symptoms for longer than a couple of weeks, it’s important to dig deeper.

Symptoms of COPD

The symptoms of COPD can creep up very subtly. The big symptoms to watch for include a chronic cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue that doesn’t have another possible cause. Some people also have more mucus than usual. This is often why the early stages are so difficult to recognize.

Your Senior’s Doctor Can Diagnose the Issue

Your senior’s doctor will run a variety of different tests to determine what’s causing the symptoms she’s having. There’s usually a combination of different diagnostic tests to rule out other issues. Your senior will likely have chest X-rays, monitoring of her pulse oximetry, and spirometry. There may be other tests that her doctor recommends as well.

Treating COPD

Most cases have underlying comorbidity, like bronchitis or emphysema. No person experiences COPD exactly the same way, either. That can mean that treating your senior is highly individualized. Your senior’s doctor may recommend a variety of different treatments to help her to continue to live her life as fully as possible while also helping her to breathe as well as she can. This is a chronic condition that only gets worse over time. There is no cure for it as of yet.

COPD can become debilitating very quickly for your senior. Even the earlier stages can greatly reduce what she’s able to do on her own. Conservation of energy is crucial because her body is working very hard just to get the oxygen that she needs. Having help with daily tasks may be exactly what your senior needs in order to maintain her quality of life, and elderly care providers can be there for her even when you’re not able to be there to help.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Palo Alto, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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