Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOnline and In-Person GroupsFacebook Support GroupsCaregiver Support GroupsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Online and In-Person Groups
Facebook Support Groups
Caregiver Support Groups
Frequently Asked Questions
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is an irreversible inflammatory disease of the lungs that makes it more difficult to breathe over time. The disease causes changes to the tissues inside the lungs that can make your lungs less efficient at moving oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of your body.
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Beingdiagnosedwith an irreversible condition like COPD can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, you don’t have to go through the experience alone. There is support available through online forums, chat rooms, and both in-person and virtual support groups.
In this article, we’ll review the COPD support options available and how to find one that works for you.
Best Online and In-Person Support Groups for COPD
Support groups can help make managing your condition a little easier. Having a community of people who have experienced what you are going through, or who are going through it concurrently, helps you feel less alone. Other like-minded people can teach you tips, advice, and resources to help you manage your COPD.
Living with COPD Community
To join the community, visit copd.inspire.com.
Better Breathers Club & Better Breathers Club Network
The Better Breathers Club is a nationwide network to connect people living with lung disease. For over 40 years, this network has been helping educate and support people with lung disease. The groups offer virtual meetings and recorded videos to help educate people with multiple different lung diseases, including COPD.
Learn more about theBetter Breathers Clubon its website.
Lung Helpline
Have questions about COPD? The American Lung Association has established a free helpline and tobacco “quitline,” through which you can talk with lung experts, including nurses, respiratory therapists, and certified tobacco treatment specialists.
The service is available at 800-LUNGUSA (dial 800-586-4872 and press 2) Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Central time zone, and on the weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. You can also visit thewebsiteto submit a question and live chat with an expert.
A teletype (TTY) line is available for people who are hearing impaired at 800-501-1068.
COPD360 Social
The COPD Foundation has created the COPD360 community, with over 51,000 members. In this community, you can connect with other people living with COPD, ask questions, receive support, and gain access to experts and educational materials.
Register for your COPD360 social profile on itsmember sign-up page.
MyCOPDTeam
MyCOPDTeam is a free social network that connects you to other people living with COPD and information to help you manage COPD. Through the network, you can share your story, learn from other people, and the MyCOPDTeam.
Sign for the networkon the MYCOPD site.
Your Medical Team
Don’t forget to ask your healthcare team for support. They’ll help provide the best answers to your questions since they have a full picture of your health needs. Your medical team will also have information about local support groups to help you manage your symptoms and the emotional stress that can result from dealing with a chronic illness.
Social networks, like Facebook, can be a good place to find other people living with COPD. Some of these groups may be private, while others are public groups. Typically, a moderator will have to approve you into the group, depending on the group rules.
Here are few COPD Facebook support groups:
COPD Caregiver Support Groups
As COPD progresses, it can limit mobility and stamina, making it challenging to take care of yourself. You may need to rely on family or friends to help you complete daily activities.
Caregiving is rewarding work, but still, it can be emotionally and physically draining. Making time to take care of yourself and finding support is crucial for caregivers.
In-person and online support groups are available to help caregivers and provide them with the resources they need. Here are a few communities that offer support for caregivers:
Types of Caregiver Burnout and How to Prevent It
A Word From Verywell
Managing a chronic condition like COPD can be challenging physically and emotionally. A COPD community helps provide support and tips to help you better manage the condition. Whether you prefer online, in-person, or a combination of the two, there is a support group to help you.
Starting a support group can be a simple task depending on how you choose to run the group. You’ll want to decide if it’s an in-person or online group. For in-person groups, you’ll find a central meeting spot such as a room in a community center or local café, schedule a time, and send out flyers to healthcare providers’ offices to get out the word. For virtual groups, you could run it through a platform like Facebook or MeetUp for free or set up a website.
There are four stages of COPD—mild, moderate, severe, and very severe. The stages indicate how obstructed your airways have become, and how far the disease has progressed. During later stages, you’ll notice more difficulty breathing and may require oxygen to help you breathe.
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Agarwal AK, Raja A, Brown BD.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Agarwal AK, Raja A, Brown BD.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Agarwal AK, Raja A, Brown BD.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.
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