My dad is almost 85 and has been dealing with COPD for a lot of years. Last dr visit and spirometer testing landed him squarely in the severe category but that’s been a few years ago. I’m sure by now he must be in the very severe category. He has tried to avoid using oxygen as much as he can but in the last month has had to have it nearly all the time. He doesn’t use long tubing because of the danger of falling, so we have oxygen at every stop in the house.
He lives in a rural area so the pulmonologist is over an hour away. His lung care has been turned over to the local GP who consults with pulmonologist because the trip is just too hard on him. He doesn’t want to go to the pulmonologist for fear of the spirometry test and honestly I agree he won’t be able to do it.
He lives alone (lost my mom to Covid in February after contracting it in the over-crowded hospital following a stroke) and refuses hired help or to leave home. My siblings and their families are all local and someone sees him multiple times a day, prepares his meals, drives him, etc. I come from out of town once a month for a five-night stay to relieve them all.
We are getting to the point where this is starting to seem hopeless and the family is not in denial. He almost reaches crisis mode getting from room to room (will let us wheel him occasionally but he’s stubborn), or sometimes in transitioning from wheelchair to car or to another chair.
Though it had not been the case before the last month, he now takes all of his breathing treatments the prescribed number of times a day, but has always used rescue enhalers and take his other meds as directed.
Now we are to the point where it is taking longer and longer for him to recover his breath and smaller tasks seem to wear him out.
In addition, he has total kidney failure and is dialyzed three times a week, with a 25 minute drive each way. It’s becoming an emotional chore for him to push himself to get in the car for that. Of course, skipping that treatment is not an option, and the dialysis clinic is wonderful about working with us to adjust appointments to accommodate his set backs.
I guess I’m looking for hints, ideas, and advice for how we can help him at home. Ironically, he’s open to trying new things if they fit within his parameters of being at home without a full time caregiver. For example, He lives near the coast and occasionally he goes there with family and the salt air really seems to help so salt diffusers for by the bed and his recliner are being shipped here next week. We know it is not a cure, but if it helps him at all for half an hour, we’ll take it! I’ve also worked with him this weekend on the use of peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils to help get over the severe breathlessness. Are there other things like this anyone has tried that we could incorporate into his care?
I now see I’ve gone on a bit - apologies - but don’t find anything I’ve written that can be left out.