The COPD Together campaign, promoted by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion) and the COPD Foundation, was recently launched with the goal of educating caregivers and helping them to better recognize chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progression and to be more active in their “shared care” role. The COPDTogether.com website has been expanded and includes new additional resources and a user-friendly design, with hopes that it can serve as an essential resource for caregivers and their loved ones suffering with COPD.
John W. Walsh, President and co-founder of the COPD Foundation, emphasizes the importance of caregivers, as quoted in a recent press release: “Caregivers are vital in managing a loved one’s health and well-being and it’s important that we focus on their needs as they have a strong impact in the COPD care continuum (…) As we launch the next phase of COPD Together with Sunovion we will continue to support and empower caregivers through education and the sharing of personal experiences as they embrace this meaningful role in their lives.”
Loni Anderson, a television actress and COPD advocate, continues to support the campaign, sharing personal, first-hand insights and advice as a COPD caregiver on the new website [click to see video]. On the newly-improved website, accurate information and resources can be found, and COPD caregivers can have access to a tool called “My Diary” and an app called “COPD Care” that are useful for keeping track of their loved ones’ symptoms and registering their disease progression.
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“Serving as my parents’ COPD caregiver was one the most challenging roles I ever played both physically and emotionally but also one in which I learned the most about myself and what is important in life. I feel fortunate to be able to help others by imparting my knowledge and experiences through the COPD Together campaign. First-hand experience is invaluable in educating caregivers as they care for a loved one so they are better equipped to manage their caregiving responsibilities while also maintaining a healthy well-balanced lifestyle for themselves,” said Loni Anderson in a website video.
During the National Family Caregiver Month and COPD Awareness Month, an additional webcast will be aired on Thursday, November, 20 2014, and will be moderated by the COPD Foundation and led by Dr. Sandra Adams, a COPD expert and Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The webcast will provide caregivers with helpful information and tips to help them and encourage them to ask any questions or concerns they might have.
Michael Gaines, Executive Director of Respiratory Marketing Sunovion, said: “We understand that living with a respiratory disease can make simple tasks feel monumental and are committed to helping enable COPD patients and caregivers to continue their daily activities (…) Our dedication to providing resources that support patients is unwavering and the partnerships forged and campaigns deployed such as COPD Together enable us to further our commitment by supporting the full COPD ‘shared care’ team including caregivers.”