Individuals in Noble County who suffer from breathing problems have found a new source of help with the August opening of Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Parkview Noble Hospital.
Following the successful implementation of Cardiac Rehab last January, hospital officials recently decided to further expand rehabilitation services to include pulmonary rehab this summer.
“I know there is a real need for this, just like there has been for our cardiac rehab,” commented Cynthia Reese, RRT, RPSGT, coordinator of Parkview Noble cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs. Reese said she received referrals for patients even before the service was up and running – a sure sign of the need for patients to be treated locally.
The first two patients to come to Parkview Noble for their pulmonary rehab were Bonnie Inlow and Margaret Ober, both from Kendallville.
Inlow was especially thankful the service opened up at Parkview Noble as she had been driving to DeKalb for her treatments. “It is so much more convenient to come here. I am so glad this is available in Noble County,” she added. Inlow, who has a chronic lung condition, said she had driven to DeKalb for her first two sessions and when her physician said she needed another 12 week round of pulmonary rehab, she was very glad to hear that Parkview Noble was now offering it.
Echoing those sentiments was the second patient in the new program, Margaret Ober. “This is all new to me,” Ober stated about her second day of pulmonary rehab. She is a widow and suffers from breathing and heart problems. “I’m sure glad it is close – right here in town makes it so much easier for me to get here,” she said.
The purpose of pulmonary rehab is to improve the quality of life for people who have any of a variety of lung diseases, such as COPD, chronic obstructive asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis and more. The program encompasses education sessions along with a schedule of supervised physical exercise with oxygen level monitoring by a respiratory therapist. Patients are typically seen three times a week for 12 weeks.
The goals for the patient are to see an improvement in their respiratory health such as increased stamina, maintenance of acceptable oxygenation levels, decrease in the number and length of respiratory-related issues, and overall improvement in the patient’s quality of life. Another benefit of pulmonary rehab is that it can decrease the length and number of hospital stays the patient requires.
Dave Hunter, Parkview Noble COO, is glad to see the service added at Noble. “This further aligns us with Parkview Health’s mission to improve people's health and lives,” he said. “By providing this service locally, our patients won't have to leave the community for this important therapy. We will continue to provide quality care close to home.”