Plans in full swing to launch new COPD support group
INCREASING demand for a new support group for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has led to the establishment of a new group in Fettercairn.
The Fettercairn COPD Support Group will be launched in the Fettercairn Community Centre on Monday, February 12, at 10am.
It was set up due to an identified demand in the area, and as the existing Tallaght COPD Support Group which meets twice weekly in Rua Red saw their numbers grow substantially.
Mary-Rose Cunningham, who works for the HSE as a self-management support coordinator for long-term health conditions, has helped to coordinate the establishment of the new group.
“There are two COPD groups in Tallaght, they meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Rua Red, and they’re sometimes reaching up to 20 or 25 attending,” Ms Cunningham told The Echo.
“The optimum number is 12 to 15, so they can have that personal touch.
“I put out a needs analysis to see if there was a need for another group…and everyone said yes, and not everyone is able to travel up to Rua Red for the Tallaght group.
“So, people decided they needed a group in the area, and that’s where I came in.”
Plans are in full swing for the launch of the new group, which will feature exercise classes led by a trained professional, a social chat, and regular talks from COPD experts.
Gentle exercise is a known tool for managing COPD, a disease which makes it hard to empty air out of your lungs and causes shortness of breath and tiredness.
Ms Cunningham said she hopes the Fettercairn COPD Support Group will help people with the condition to socialise and to maintain their health after leaving hospital.
“When people are living with COPD, they go to hospital or their GP, and they get transferred to pulmonary rehab, and that’s usually an eight-week programme,” she said.
“But if they have nothing in the community to continue with, then they’ll go back home, and the symptoms of COPD can reemerge.
“In the group, they can do 45 minutes of exercise led by a trained leader, and it is tailored to whatever they can do, and they can also really make friends.
“This cohort of people might not have been out of the house except for hospital appointments in recent years.”
The sessions typically end with refreshments and the group members will have a chat and socialise, and Ms Cunningham knows from other COPD support groups that firm friendships are often made.
The Fettercairn COPD Support Group will meet up in the community centre for an hour every Monday morning at 10am from February 12.
For more information, call 083 086 4118, email support@copd.ie or visit HERE.
The group is funded by the HSE and is being run in partnership with COPD Support Ireland, the National Clinical Programme Respiratory, and the South Dublin County Partnership.
