Pulmonary Rehabilitation is a treatment program for people who are living with long-term lung disease conditions that cause shortness of breath, usually associated with fatigue, that is worsened by movement. It is an education and exercise training program that teaches people with chronic lung disease how to breathe and move around better with less shortness of breath, and optimize their nutrition, medication, and mental wellness. Pulmonary Rehabilitation supports patients to live well with their lung diseases and is similar to cardiac rehabilitation for people who have experienced heart attacks and other heart diseases.
People living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other chronic lung diseases causing shortness of breath benefit significantly from the program. Lung specialists recommend Pulmonary Rehabilitation as a core treatment as it improves lung disease symptoms and general well-being. Unfortunately, Pulmonary Rehabilitation is unavailable in most places in Canada, and rarely found in rural communities. Sadly, only 0.8% of COPD patients in Canada eligible for the program have access to it.
The good news is that this basic and effective treatment program for people with COPD and other lung diseases missing in most Canadian communities is now available in Houston. The health care team at Houston Health Center were able to receive a grant to start an innovative rural Pulmonary Rehabilitation program in June 2022, and the first group of participants completed the program with great testimonies. With a team made up of a dietitian, social worker, mental health clinician, nurse, pharmacist, doctor and exercise specialist, patients are supported with relevant respiratory, nutrition, exercise, mental wellness, medication, and general health education. Patients are empowered to better manage their COPD by themselves, together with local supports available to them.
The next group session of the Houston Pulmonary Rehabilitation program is starting this October. Anyone with chronic lung disease can enroll for free by calling 250-917-8927.