Road to respiratory health aided at Lung Rehab Clinic

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GEORGE BUSINESS NEWS - The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has affected all individuals, more so those infected with the virus who continue to face respiratory symptoms and low oxygen saturation levels.

Individuals with moderate Covid lung disease would have experienced shortness of breath, lower exercise tolerance, decreased independence in activities of daily living and difficulty re-entering the work environment.

In severe cases, individuals would have required prolonged hospitalisation and likely ventilation or high-flow oxygen.

The prolonged immobilisation due to hospitalisation can lead to muscle weakness, reduced joint mobility, impaired balance and impaired gait, all of which affect the recovery process. In addition, the use of home oxygen has become a mandatory treatment to help open hospital beds.

However, this therapy requires ongoing monitoring and weaning. Patients leave the hospital swamped by information, a package of pills, still feeling very frail and not sure where the road of recovery lies. Often the information is not retained, due to the overwhelming experience, anxiety, lack of sleep and recovery process which takes place at home.

In the Garden Route, support is available for such individuals to attain a better quality of life sooner and to gain further insight into their disease - in the form of a lung rehabilitation programme.

The programme is not exclusive to post-Covid-19 lung disease, but is also available to patients with emphysema, interstitial lung disease, recovery from severe pneumonia and recovery from chest surgery.

Road to health

The Lung Rehab Clinic is a first for the Garden Route. Its aim is to help those affected by severe respiratory illness on the road to recovery and improved quality of life. It is a programme of education and exercise that increases awareness about lung disease and helps achieve exercise or movement with less shortness of breath.

The programme is directed by specialist physician Dr Gregori Palkowski, and includes a team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and a biokineticist. Patients entering the programme will spend most of the time with biokineticist Jarryd Carter for respiratory muscle training, individualised graded exercises and endurance training.

Please phone 044 050 1400 or visit our website, www.lungrehab.co.za.