Nenagh group's welcome for World COPD Day

This Wednesday, November 20th, is World COPD Day and the members of a local support group are inviting all to come and learn about the assistance that is available in this area.

COPD Support Ireland's Tipperary support groups will be hosting information points next Wednesday at Nenagh Hospital and the Community Hospital of the Assumption in Thurles from 10am to 2pm.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a lung condition that makes it difficult for people to breathe due to obstruction of the airways, resulted in some 1,745 people in Tipperary being hospitalised between 2016 and 2018. Incorporating the more well-known conditions of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, COPD symptoms include breathlessness, persistent coughing and regular chest infections.

Fortunately, there is plentiful practical help available to people with the disease locally with a pulmonary rehabilitation programme run at Nenagh hospital, complemented by the mutual advocacy of the local support group.

Presently consisting of 19 members, the group meets up three times a week. Two of these meetings take place in the hall at MacDonagh Park where they participate in pulmonary rehabilitation classes and exercise to music.

Underway for about four years now, the classes started out at Nenagh Pastoral Centre but recently relocated to MacDonagh Park because more space was needed. They started out with the guidance of a physiotherapist but now the support group members run the classes under their own steam.

On Mondays they meet up at Riverlane on Kenyon St for yoga classes with local teacher Donie Quirke. Yoga exercises are of great benefit to people with COPD and the members of the Nenagh group derive great enjoyment from these classes too.

These get-togethers are a great means of maintaining the exercises learned in hospital. All COPD patients are taught exercises they need to do to optimise their breathing but it can be very difficult for them to do this at home alone. In a group setting, however, this is much easier and those involved find themselves enjoying the craic and camaraderie of what has in many has become in many ways a new social outlet.

They come from Nenagh and a widespread surrounding area, including Ballina, Puckane and Templemore. Nenagh is home to the first COPD support group in Tipperary; a second was set up soon after in Thurles while a third is presently being established in Clonmel. They welcome COPD patients from everywhere and there is no age limit.

Linda Collins was diagnosed with COPD two years ago. She has been a member of the Nenagh group for around six months. “I do find it does help,” she said. “The more you do, the more you help yourself. You can't just sit back and let COPD take over your life, and this group really helps you to cope with it.”

Linda goes to swimming and to Tai Chi classes in addition to what she does with the Nenagh support group. She stressed the benefits of social interaction in learning to cope with the disease. “When you're in a group, you can talk to each other about how you're feeling,” she added.

Similarly, Mary Ely spoke of how the Nenagh COPD support group has assisted her in the three years since she was diagnosed with the disease. “I find it great,” Mary said. “It really has helped me along and I don't know where I'd be without this group.”

A heavy smoker for many years, Gerry Duggan was told that he would need a lung transplant when he was diagnosed with COPD. But with the help of everything he has learned from the support group in Nenagh, he is still coping without the need of new lungs.

“When I started out first, I was on oxygen full-time,” he said. “I'm managing without it now, and it's all due to the exercises and proper breathing techniques that I've learned.”

Representatives of the support group will be on hand in Nenagh and Thurles next Wednesday to provide information about COPD, as well as general health and well-being advice, and direction to the resources available locally.

Looking further ahead, members of the Nenagh group are planning to sing together outside the Bank of Ireland on December 22nd to raise funds and awareness for their cause. This arises from a singing therapy pilot scheme, in which every member of the group found that singing improved their breathing, dramatically so in some cases.

The Nenagh support group would like to thank Nenagh Éire Óg for the use of their hall. Thanks also to Tipperary ETB, Tipperary Volunteer Centre and North Tipperary Development Company. You can find out more about the Nenagh COPD group by contacting Danny Foley (chairperson), 086-3338109; Mary Gavin (secretary), 087-6162520 or Gerry Duggan (treasurer), 087-2724247. See also www.copd.ie.

 

Caption: Tipperary COPD Support Group - Back row: Gerry Duggan (treasurer), Denis Hassett, Danny Foley (chairperson), Paul Kearns. Front row: Mary Gavin (secretary), Winnie King, Linda Collins, Mary Ely, Jean Connors. PHOTOGRAPH: ODHRAN DUCIE