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The Comfort of Home for Chronic Lung Disease: A Guide for Caregivers

Maria M. Meyer, Paula Derr and
Mary E. Gilmartin
CareTrust Publications (2007)
ISBN 9780978790318
Reviewed by Mary Durfor for RebeccasReads (8/08)

This book,  “The Comfort of Home for Chronic Lung Disease – A Guide for Caregivers” is part of a series of excellent caregiving guides for providing supportive care to family members or others who are experiencing chronic diseases and living in a home environment.  The book is divided into three major parts:  Getting Ready, Day by Day and Additional Resources.   Part One:  Getting Ready first provides a discussion of the actual diseases that make up Chronic Lung Disease.  The authors provide a comprehensive description of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both characterized by shortness of breath, and excessive coughing.  Interstitial Lung Disease is characterized also by a dry cough and shortness of breath.  Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacterial Disease (NTM) is not contagious, but is a chronic infection of the lungs that causes coughing (possibly bloody) and lack of appetite and stamina.  A great list of resources is at the end of the chapter.  The common treatments for lung disease are described, with medications, oxygen therapy, rehabilitation programs, and tips for preventing complications and for relieving stress.  Surgical options are explored and more resources are presented.  There is a candid discussion of the appropriateness and ability of the lung patient to live at home, with helpful checklists for deciding if the reader has the characteristics of an ideal caregiver, and for ruling in or out facility placement.  Additional related resources are listed.

The healthcare team is explained very well, and a helpful checklist of symptoms to report to the physician is outlined.  A complete checklist of coming home from the hospital must-do’s are given, and even more resources are listed.  A good and thorough overview of the different types of home care agencies and the various ways of getting outside home care paid for and of paying for it privately is provided as well.  A well-informed list of the process to follow before selecting a home care agency, an explanation of the steps to follow and the employment rules if you hire someone yourself, and some excellent resources and books to guide these choices is provided.  Preparations for end-of-life care are discussed as well as a thorough review of the entire myriad of equipment and medical supplies that might be needed to provide competent care at home, with additional listing of resources provided. 

Part Two: Day by Day is another section that addresses the actual nitty-gritty of providing care to someone at home.  A sample care plan is provided, which can be adapted for use with any patient, with a medication schedule to follow, emergency information which should be recorded, and a really good explanation of how to keep these forms updated to ensure excellent care with minimal disruptions.  An excellent guide for minimizing caregiver burnout, stress, and depression is outlined, with an exhaustive list of resources and publications that would be helpful to the caregiver.  A hands-on guide for assisting with all the normal activities of daily living (bathing, grooming, feeding, etc.) and a description of all the possible types of rehab therapists that might be involved in care is given.  Some compensation techniques to encourage continued intimacy, tips for traveling with a disabled person, a nutritional assessment, a very good and basic discussion of dietary needs and ways to meet those needs, a review of exercise as part of chronic lung disease, and the use of some complementary therapies (yoga, tai chi, massage) are all presented for consideration.  There is a thorough review of possible emergencies and appropriate responses.  The final part of the book is full of common medical abbreviations, common healthcare specialists and what they do, a comprehensive listing of caregiver support organizations, and a glossary of terms the caregiver is likely to encounter on this journey.

As a veteran of the home care industry, with thirty-plus years experience as a home care nurse myself, I would definitely recommend this book (and all the books in “The Comfort of Home” series) as wonderful guides for all who find themselves in the role of caregiver for a chronically ill person.  The authors provide accurate medical information, but maybe even more important, they talk about the actual nuts and bolts of providing care with examples to guide the reader in the process.  The checklists are very helpful, and the resource listings at the end of each chapter and in the final part of the book are exhaustive and bring it all together in one place so the reader can easily obtain information on any subject needed.

  

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