Assisted Living Is a Great Environment for Seniors with Severe COPD

If you or your senior loved one are dealing with the physical and medical challenges of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you know they are a lot more serious than the typical aches and pains of growing older.

Difficulty breathing, coughing, and wheezing when trying to do even the simplest things like bathing, getting dressed, or walking to the bathroom can take a lot of the joy out of life. Especially when you’re living on your own.

That is why many seniors with severe COPD are taking charge of their lives by moving to an assisted living community. They’ve discovered it can improve their quality of life and reduce the risk of developing other serious associated health conditions like heart disease and lung cancer. And their numbers are increasing. According to one study, 1 in every 6 people who are admitted to long term care facilities these days have a history of emphysema or COPD.

Getting extra help with daily life activities in assisted living makes a lot of sense. Although a cure has not been found for COPD, it is treatable, especially when living in an assisted living community. With good senior care, most assisted living residents who have the condition find they can control their symptoms, protect their long-term health, and enjoy a better quality of life.

If your or your loved one’s COPD is extremely severe and needs round-the-clock attention, a skilled care facility or hospital might be the best option. However, for seniors who don’t need that intensive level of care and who want to be part of a community, moving to assisted living may be a great strategy to enjoy a lifestyle that offers physical, social, and spiritual fulfillment.

Here are 8 reasons why assisted living is a great environment for seniors with severe COPD:

1. Supervision – While assisted living communities don’t directly monitor residents around the clock, help is always close by. Many have alarm buttons in their apartments that a senior can activate to alert the staff if they fall or are experiencing a debilitating flare up of COPD symptoms.


2. Medical Attention – Most assisted living communities have medical professionals on call or an in-house nurse who can quickly step in to deal with a medical emergency. This kind of peace of mind makes it easier for you or a loved one with COPD to relax and enjoy life.
   


3. Prescription Drug Management – Seniors with severe COPD are usually on medications that effectively manage their symptoms as long as they take it as directed. Many assisted living communities eliminate worries about keeping up with medications by providing services that ensure you or your senior don’t miss a dose.
   


4. Nutrition – If COPD can make someone feel winded by simply getting out of bed, then shopping for groceries and preparing a healthy meal for themselves can seem next to impossible. That can be a problem, since eating a balanced diet that features nutrient-rich meals including fresh fruit and vegetables, lots of healthy fiber, and a minimum of salt is key to managing COPD - Not to mention it can keep you or your senior healthy and strong. Assisted living communities make eating right easy by serving up delicious and nutritious meals 3 times a day as well as providing 24/7 access to healthy snacks.


5. Personal Assistance – Assisted living communities often provide help with tiresome tasks for seniors with severe COPD, such as bathing, grooming, dressing, housekeeping, and laundry. That means that they can have more energy to spend on the more fulfilling activities these communities offer.
   


6. Safe and Healthy Environment – Assisted living communities are specially designed to be easy to navigate. Amenities like dining rooms, entertainment venues, beauty salons, movie theaters and chapels are typically just steps away. Trip and fall hazards have been eliminated. And thanks to regular housekeeping services like vacuuming, dusting, and laundry, airborne particles that can aggravate COPD symptoms are greatly reduced. All things that can help you or your senior breathe easier.


7. Exercise – Keeping up with an exercise plan prescribed by a physician that targets the lungs and heart can help you or your loved one build strength and better manage COPD symptoms. Assisted living communities often offer a variety of physical activity classes featuring low-impact seated exercises, tai chi, and yoga.


8. Social Interaction – Struggling to deal with COPD alone can make seniors feel overwhelmed and isolated. Being part of an assisted living community gives residents an easy way to enjoy the many uplifting emotional, psychological, and spiritual benefits that interacting with others brings.

Seniors dealing with the challenges of severe COPD can live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives when they take advantage of all the services and benefits an assisted living community provides.

MorningStar Senior Living — Assisted Living Community

If your loved one lives far from family and friends, it could be time to move into an assisted living community near their adult children where they’ll have the companionship of fellow seniors and a compassionate service team. At MorningStar Senior Living, a 24/7 team is dedicated to offering care and hospitality services that meet each resident’s social, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.