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Top Assisted Living Devices for Patients with Pulmonary Fibrosis
As a patient living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I am aware that eventually I will require assistive devices to complete my daily tasks of living. I am not naive to the notion that my lungs will become so poor and oxygen-deprived that my once-simple independent tasks will be impossible without the aid of medical devices to assist me. That being said, I am hoping those days are many years down the road but I have already relied on some assistive devices to help me recover after procedures, exacerbations or to help me when I am just generally feeling unwell.
What I mean by medical or assistive devices are the things that make our life easier, and able to live with a life-threatening lung condition. As an example, our portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) / tanks are technically medical devices, and so are things like wheelchairs, shower stools or grab bars for the bathroom or stairs.
At first I had no intention of admitting that I needed these devices, but since I’ve been forced to use a few, I realize they truly can make my life as a patient living with IPF easier. After my acute exacerbation event last May, I was very weak from laying in a hospital bed for so long. While physiotherapists worked hard on my atrophied muscles, I still needed assistance to walk and relied on a walker to help me regain my strength. I also use a POC on a regular basis, and when I was travelling last December, I relied on my friends to push me around in wheelchair because I just didn’t have the stamina to walk everywhere. These are some examples of when assistive devices were helpful for me while living with IPF.
Just recently, I asked a member of my healthcare team about obtaining a shower stool. I didn’t want to admit that I needed this, but I find with the steam and heat of a shower, plus moving my head and body around so much while bathing, that I become short of breath easily. As a result of that, it is not uncommon for me to feel dizzy in the shower. I know many others can relate to this feeling as well, and as a precaution, I thought having a shower stool might be a helpful idea. This is another assistive device that enables me to still complete my tasks of daily living, but that make doing so just a little bit easier (and safer!) when living with a lung disease.
As a result of my experience(s) thus far, my top assistive devices for living with IPF would have to be (in no particular order): 1. POC 2. walker 3. shower stool 4. wheelchair.
What are some particularly beneficial medically assisted devices that help you to live with PF/IPF?
What about Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa : do you think you’ll ever use these devices? I am looking into getting an Alexa device to help me around the home as well!
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