Respiratory Rallies Focus on Improved Quality of Life
Susan and Jim Shields can travel again now that they have a portable oxygen concentrator to supply Jim with the oxygen he needs wherever they go. They learned about it at the American Lung Association’s Respiratory Rally in Santa Barbara last year. Focused on providing the tools people with lung disease need to breathe easier, the event was such a success it’s being duplicated around the state.
Like many of the rally attendees, Jim has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including bronchiectasis and chronic bronchitis. While the majority of people with COPD are former smokers, Jim never smoked a day in his life.
“The air pollution growing up in New York and a career spent working with solvents may have had something to do with it,” explains Susan, who attended the rally last year and brought back a host of information for her husband. “It was very educational. It reinforced what I already knew and gave me new information about medicines, treatments, and the value of pulmonary rehabilitation for my husband.”
The Respiratory Rallies were started by the American Lung Association in Texas as a way to empower people with lung disease and their caregivers to live more productive, fulfilling lives by teaching them how to better manage their disease. The first one was held in California in 2005.
“Educating people on chronic lung disease makes a huge difference in quality of life,” says Jeffrey Kupperman, MD. The longtime volunteer for the American Lung Association in Santa Barbara and current president of the American Lung Association of California’s medical section, the California Thoracic Society, spearheaded a joint effort to bring the rallies to more California counties.
The rallies feature medical speakers, motivational presenters, and breakout sessions about a variety of topics. The one-day conferences are planned and implemented by a team of health professionals, including physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists. Most sites offer treatment rooms and oxygen to use during the rallies.
Events Offer Mutual Support
The rallies are also designed to encourage social interaction between people who share a common problem, which helps decrease feelings of isolation often associated with lung disease. Participants are able to talk about issues with others who understand and exchange solutions for common situations.
“I learned so much from other people at the rally,” says Susan. “In fact, it was somebody at the rally who encouraged us to attend Better Breathers.”
The American Lung Association’s Better Breathers groups provide ongoing support for the Shields and others. Members meet regularly to listen to speakers, share ideas, and comfort each other when health problems become overwhelming.
“It’s important for people with lung disease and their families to get this kind of support and learn everything they can about the disease,” Susan says. The couple wanted to attend the recent Respiratory Rally in Santa Barbara, but they were in Hawaii thanks to what they learned at the previous year’s event.
Respiratory Rallies are scheduled for Butte, Contra Costa, Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Riverside, and San Mateo counties. To find one near you, call 1.800.LUNG.USA or visit www.respiratoryrally.org.
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