Managing pulmonary disease (COPD) at home

If you suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other pulmonary disease, you know the condition can have a major impact on daily life. At Advocate Health at Home, we understand the struggles you face with COPD. And we are here to help. Our home care specialists provide the services you need in the comfort of your own home. Our goal? To help you reduce symptoms and manage your condition.

Our services

Below are a few ways Advocate Health at Home can help you manage your pulmonary disease:

• Help with the transition home after a hospital stay
• Deliver oxygen therapy and instruct you how to use the equipment
• Help you manage your medications
• Teach you how to identify warning signs of an exacerbation and take action before serious complications arise to a hospital readmission or ED visit
• Provide occupational therapy to teach you strategies for independent living
• Assist with physician-prescribed exercises to reduce breathlessness and strengthen your pulmonary system
• Provide dietary counseling to improve your pulmonary symptoms
• Connect you  with services for help in quitting smoking
• Help you create an advance care plan so your health care wishes are spelled out for your family and physicians
• Provide other respiratory and home care equipment such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP), nebulizers and more
• Help you transition to hospice care later in the disease process if you are at end of life and seek comfort, but not curative treatment

Our team

Advocate home health specialists work with you to design a treatment plan that is tailored to your unique needs and goals. Depending on your individual needs, members of your home health team may include:

• Respiratory therapist
• Registered nurse
• Physical therapist
• Occupational therapist
• Home health aide