There are 210 million people around the world living with COPD1. Due to self-blame and stigma, it can be difficult for people living with COPD to take control of their condition, resulting in them often delaying seeking medical advice.2 A common way of coping with symptoms of COPD is to avoid or give up activities that may exacerbate symptoms3. This reduction in activity can result in increasingly restricted lives, social isolation and loneliness4 which can also steadily worsen COPD symptoms and lead to a higher risk of hospital admissions5.
Living with a disease is not easy for anyone. That’s why we want to help people with COPD feel more empowered and able to live their lives with minimal barriers to achieving a fulfilled life. To help break the cycle of decreasing activity and increasing symptoms, COPD: Life is Calling challenges people to set themselves a personal goal and share it with others. Goal by goal, we want to help patients achieve what may before have felt like impossibility. By seeing what is possible we hope to encourage people living with COPD to not accept their own current limitations but find new ways to do the things they love.
Are there ‘things’ that you would like to achieve but feel are out of reach? Are there activities that you used to enjoy that now seem a distant memory? What challenges stop you from your life’s call?
Let your voice be heard! Visit www.copdlifeiscalling.com to help inspire and motivate each other to work towards your goals and live life to the full.
Join us. Life is calling.
References 1.Global Surveillance, Prevention and Control of Chronic Respiratory Diseases: A Comprehensive Approach. World Health Organisation, 2007. 2.Arne, M et al. COPD patients’ perspectives at the time of diagnosis: a qualitative study. Primary Care Respiratory Journal, 2007 16(4): 215-221. 3. Habraken JM et al. The silence of patients with end-stage COPD: a qualitative study. British Journal of General Practice, 2008. 4. Simpson A.C et al. Advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease : rethinking models of care. Q J Med 2008, 101:697-704 5.Garcia-Aymerich J et al. Physical Activity and Clinical and Functional Status in COPD. Original research, Chest Journal website; http://journal.publications.chestnet.org. Accessed April 2015.
