Community Memorial’s Breathing Easy Program Helps You Catch Your Breath

What happens when you try to climb the stairs at home and find yourself out of breath at the top? It’s scary when you experience difficulty breathing while doing an activity as routine as bringing in the groceries or taking the dog for a walk.

Luckily, support isn’t hard to find. Community Memorial’s Breathing Easy Program is designed to enhance your quality of life by improving your tolerance to physical exertion or exercise, which also increases your independence and reduces the number of days you may spend in the hospital. It’s important for you to better understand your pulmonary dysfunction – or the root cause of your breathing difficulties – so you can manage it better.

The primary goals of the Community Memorial Breathing Easy program are to improve patients’ quality of life and help decrease their shortness of breath. It should not be a struggle to pick up the mail or walk your dog. We help our patients get back to the daily activities that are important to them.

Specifically, Breathing Easy seeks to prevent, detect, and treat complications of respiratory conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our pulmonary rehabilitation team consists of medical doctors, respiratory therapists, registered dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and social workers. We also work with patients’ primary physician. Our team designs and implements an individualized program for each patient with the objective of rehabilitating each person to their maximum potential. In the process, we seek to educate, motivate, increase self-reliance, and renew the patient’s interest in hobbies and leisure activities.

Breathing Easy is a six-week program that takes place twice per week – on Tuesdays and Thursdays—for two hours per day. The time is split between learning how to manage a chronic breathing condition better and exercising. We help patients practice what we teach with experts on hand to help and coach. We teach patients strategies to control their breathing as well as coping techniques, such as slowing down a little bit if needed when exerting themselves.

Community Memorial’s Breathing Easy is accredited by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Accreditation means we are providing a high-quality service by being certified, adhering to industry best practices, and meeting certain quality standards. Accreditation is a way for healthcare organizations and programs to assess their performance compared to established standards of care. Accreditation is earned through objective assessments from independent organizations or professional associations. Evidence-based medical practices, national standards, quality assurance, medical ethics, and safety all play key roles in the accreditation process. We are proud that our Breathing Easy program has earned accreditation and been re-certified several times, allowing us to continue providing this valuable community resource.

Anyone who is experiencing difficulty breathing in their daily lives can benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation services and programs like Breathing Easy. People suffering from chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, and other chronic lung disorders are eligible to participate in Breathing Easy. All patients must have a written referral from their physician to be enrolled in the pulmonary rehabilitation program. Community Memorial works with your primary care physician and provides them with a full discharge summary when you complete the program.

Breathing Easy is offered at Community Memorial Hospital – Ventura. Contact us at 805-948-5011 for more information and ask for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation department.