Breathing Well Program

The Benefits of Breathing Well

For anyone with a chronic lung disease that interferes with breathing well, pulmonary rehabilitation most likely can help.  Among the benefits our Breath Well program participants often experience:

• They breathe more easily and feel more energetic.
• Their stamina and exercise performance measurably improve.
• They find it easier to handle activities of daily living.
• They learn more about their disease and how to manage it.
• They are less likely to experience medical emergencies or need to be in the hospital.
• They feel better emotionally and cope more effectively with the anxiety and depression that sometimes accompany breathing problems.

Need Help with Breathing Well?

If your doctor has diagnozed any of the following conditions, the Breathing Well Pulminary Rehabilitation Program could be right for you:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, such as emphysema and bronchitis
• Persistent asthma
• Bronchiectasis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Interstitial fibrosis
• Sarcoidosis
• Pneumoconiosis
• Asbestosis
• Primary pulmonary hypertension
• Lung cancer
• Neuromuscular diseases

Our Breathing Well program can also help patients before and after heart surgeries, lung transplants and lung volume reduction surgeries.

Easy Access to Personalzied, Professional Pulmonary Rehabilitation Services

Our Breathing Well Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program improves comfort and quality of life for patinets with chronic lung diseases through a highly personalized, custom-designed combination of exercise, education and emotional support.

For Yadkin County residents, our comprehensive, hospital-based program is only minutes from home and easily accessible, with free parking just outside the door.

Besides the convenience, our patients especially appreciate the individual, personal attention they receive from our qualified, caring therapists, who work with them one-on-one.  Patients also appreciate the bright, pleasant setting where they come for their appointments.

How Our Breathing Well Program Works

Patients begin our program with a referral from their doctor.

Most health insurance policies, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover prescribed program costs for a specialized number of visits.

Patients usually meet twice a week with a respiratory therapist for 12 to 18 weeks.  Appointments last an hour and are available between 8AM and 6PM, Monday through Thursday.

When a doctor refers a patient to us, we immediatly review the patient's medical history and call to schedule an appointment.  At the first visit, we introduce ourselves and the Breathing Well program, show patients around our facility and do some initial testing and assessment.

Based on the patient's medical condition and our test results, we recommend personal goals and work with the patient to create an individualized plan for the coming weeks.  For patients who smoke, we include plans to help them stop.

In addition to supervised exercise and coaching, most Breathing Well visits include counseling and patient education.  Therapists cover information based on the needs and interests of each patient, choosing from such topics as:

• How to exercise safely
• How to stop smoking
• How to use and care for inhalers, spacers, nebulizers and other respiratory equipment
• Energy conservation tips and techniques
• How to breathe from the diaphragm
• Stress control and relaxation tips and techniques
• Handling activities of daily living
• Lung anatomy and how the patient's disease affects lung function
• Breathing disorders and diet, with nutrition tips
• Asthma attack triggers
• How to monitor peak flow
• Techniques for clearing airways
• Managing shortness of breath
• Dealing with low blood oxygen levels
• Oxygen therapy at home and when traveling

Patients receive written instructions for exercises and breathing techniques to practice at home.

Throughout the program, we report to referring doctors on each patient's progress.  Therapists also meet twice monthly to discuss each patient with the program medical director.

Mid-way through the program, the therapist and patient review progress and plan for the remaining weeks.  At the final appointment, we measure and celebrate progress sine the initial evaulation and discuss strategies for helping patients keep breathing well on their own.

Maintaining the Benefits

After the prescirbed rehabilitation ends, we strongly encourage patients to continue applying what they've learned and exercising to maintain the health benefits they've gained from the Breathing Well program.

An optional maintenance program is available to program graduates who want to continue using the hospital facilities and fitness equipment.  Fees for the maintenance program are affordable, and based on the patient's ability to pay.

Need a Ride?

The Respiratory Care Department provides free transportation by van for patients within Yadkin County who need a ride to or from their appointments.

More Information

If you live in Yadkin County and believe you can benefit from the Breathing Well program, ask you doctor for a referral.

For more information about enrolling in the program, call the hospital's Respiratory Care Department at (336) 679-6777.