COPD events in Nenagh

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, better known as COPD, is a long term condition that affects the lungs causing shortness of breath, wheeze, coughing with thick mucus, and fatigue. COPD gets worse over time, especially if it is left untreated.
Currently, more than 440,000 people in Ireland have COPD, and it is estimated that 15,225 of those are in Tipperary. It is predicted that COPD will be the third leading cause of mortality worldwide by 2030, just behind cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Brian Fitzgibbon, Physiotherapist, and Olivia Quinn, Respiratory Nurse Specialist, held a number of events in Nenagh Hospital recently in order to raise much needed funds for the local COPD Support Group in Tipperary. The staff of Nenagh Hospital and Health Centre, were asked to participate in a cycle challenge. This involved individuals exerting themselves on an exercise bike for a minute or longer, while breathing through a straw. The idea was that staff would get to experience what it felt like to try and breathe through a narrowed airway while under exertion, a sensation that COPD sufferers have to endure on a daily basis.
An information stand was also set up to highlight risk factors for COPD, which include smoking, exposure to occupational or environmental hazards, or rarely genetic predisposition. Knowledge is power, and with the COPD Support Group in North Tipperary, the aim is to empower persons with COPD by giving them the information they need to manage their condition and symptoms most effectively. A cake sale held in the hospital generated over €500 for the local COPD support group. The staff of Nenagh Hospital and Health Centre donated their time and efforts into baking cakes, buns, tarts, jams and much more, and came out in their droves on the day to support the event. Brian and Olivia commented: “We were bowled over with the generosity and support of our colleagues.”
A second event took place organised by the support group itself in at Nenagh Pastoral Centre. This event was organised as part of the national ‘Save your Breath’ campaign, in which free lung assessments were carried out, which are vital in trying capture sufferers of this condition who remain undiagnosed. There was a large turnout and this highlights the interest by sufferers and carers locally in awareness and management of COPD. Tipperary COPD Support would like to thank everybody who supported their Information Day, especially to the staff of the Pastoral Centre who facilitated the event and helped in every way possible
Exercise is a key management strategy for COPD. The Pulmonary Rehab programme in Nenagh hospital has been running successfully for over four years now, under the medical governance of Dr Brian Casserly and Dr Aidan O’Brien, Respiratory Consultants in University Hospital Limerick. This is a programme of exercise and education for people with chronic lung disease, and while exercise capacity improves with pulmonary rehab, it is important to maintain those benefits on an ongoing basis. The Tipperary COPD Support Group hope to organise exercise classes for themselves in the New Year.