Pilgrims Hospice

Maureen, a Family Services Manager with the Pilgrims Hospices came to talk to us about the services they offer – which is not just end of life care. They are also not just for cancer sufferers but include patients with other chronic diseases like COPD and Parkinsons for example. They provide specialist palliative care which means controlling symptoms and trying to make life easier for these patients. As well as their in-patient care they have a number of out-patient courses and services. Called Living for Today these are programmes of support for patients and families coping with life-limiting illness. Each progamme is usually 4-6 weekly sessions providing a mix of advice, information, guidance and activities. These programmes include: • Caring with confidence • Breathlessness management • Time to Create (arts and crafts) • Coping with stress • Healthy living They also provide Counselling for Families and Bereavement Support. All of these services are provided free of charge but patients do need to be referred to them by a health professional. For more information see their website at www.pilgrimshospices.org or call the Community coordinator on 01227 812617. Or call into their drop-in coffee mornings on Tuesday mornings between 10-12am.

Clair from the BLF

It is always welcome to have someone from The British Lung Foundation (our 'head office') come and see us and Clair Henderson was a particular delight. Clair gave us a rundown on how the British Lung Foundation got started and the development of the Breathe Easy support network, which now numbers over 230 groups throughout the UK. She also gave us an update on the happenings at the BLF, which includes the current campaigns against smoking in cars and raising awareness of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. Clair also spent some time telling us about the Helpline which is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm on 03000 030 555. The helpline is staffed by a variety of health professionals including a counsellor. They can offer information about the treatment and management of your lung condition; guidance about what you can do to help make your condition easier to live with; information about welfare benefits; and information about inhalers, antibiotics, steroids and other medications as well as hints and tips to help make life easier. Talking about BLF resources, the website has been re-vamped and looks very smart as well as providing a wealth of information for users. Check it out at http://www.blf.org.uk. After the tea break Clair took the opportunity to get to know the members and they in turn picked her brains for ideas on fund raising and raising awareness.

Snack Attach

Our January meeting was the first in our new hall at Herne and members were very pleased with the warmth of it and the parking and voted it a hit. We also welcomed a new member which is always a delight. Our speaker was Claire Addis a dietician assistant to the Community Dieticians Team who was very enlightening. Claire explained to us that having a lung condition can affect a persons’ weight in either direction and the team like patients with a lung condition to have a BMI of between 20 and 30. Patients may put on weight because of reduced activity, comfort eating or medication such as steroids. This puts an increased strain on the heart and joints and increases the risk of diabetes, all of which can make both mobility and breathing even worse. Claire’s advice is to reduce your portion size by switching to a smaller plate, to increase your fruit, salad and vegetables whilst reducing the carbohydrates and meats. Many patients however, lose weight with a lung condition due to loss of appetite caused by the strain of breathing/coughing which also burns more calories. Claire’s advice for this is to eat little and often and snacking between meals is very much encouraged if you are losing weight. Milky drinks and cheese are encouraged also, not just for the extra calories but for the extra calcium which is beneficial. Claire played a ‘sort the snack’ game with us to see how clued up we are in guessing the calories in various popular snacks. The top rated one, from a calorie vs benefit perspective, is a small packet of dry roasted peanuts. Nuts are high in calories but have actually been shown to help reduce cholesterol in the body because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. They are also rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and are packed with anti-oxidents. From a heart-health perspective unsalted nuts should be chosen.

Christmas Lunch 2012

We had a very successful Christmas Lunch at The Royal in Tankerton. Almost 30 people made it this year which was lovely. The choice of main course was very welcome and everyone enjoyed their meal. We also held a raffle which raised nearly £80 and offset some of the cost of the meal, which was slightly subsidized. The management of The Royal even contributed some wine to our raffle which was very generous of them. We were joined by Anne and Gina from the Respiratory Team and by Mollie Jackson, our past Chairperson and group founder. It was a real pleasure to see them and have a chance to catch up.

Strawberry Tea 2012

Our Strawberry Tea was held in the hall, which turned out to be just as well since we had a thunderstorm in the middle of it! We had a marvelous time and the strawberries, cream and scones were eaten with just as much gusto as usual!! After the strawberries we had a singing session led by Sadie Hurley who, along with a number of our members has been a part of the Singing for Breathing trials. The year’s trial has finished now, to the sadness of those who took part, as it has been a huge success.

Stand on the Slopes

Talking of raising money, we once again held a book stall on the slopes on June 17th as a part of Breathe Easy Week. As well as selling a large number of books, Harry brought his ‘sound machine’ which people had a go at for sweets and which attracted plenty of attention and Ray Moore raised money by offering photos taken in his classic car. We had a lot of help from our members’ families that day, to whom we owe a big Thank You, but the weather was lovely and I think it’s fair to say that all involved had a good day. We made a profit of £120 as well as raising our profile, which is always a good thing.

Peps, Flutters and Salt Pipes

Our April meeting saw Kiri Moseley from the Respiratory Team demonstrating Pep and Flutter devices as well as Salt Pipes to the group. In a highly informative and very well attended meeting, Kiri explained that the Pep and Flutter devices can be used to help mobilize sputum for those who find it a problem to cough up. The way these devices work is that you breathe out against a pressure (normally breathing out is totally passive) which uses more muscles and causes pressure to ‘back fill’ the lungs getting behind the sputum and splinting the airways open, getting further down and helping to shift the sputum. The advantage of the Pep is that it can be used in any position including lying down whereas the Flutter has to used sitting upright and held in the correct position. Some of the Peps also have variable pressure which you can increase as you become more used to it. The Flutter, however, makes quite a satisfying noise which some people like and it vibrates which may help to shake the sputum loose. Both devices can be quite expensive and a cheap alternative can be to breathe out through a straw into a glass of water blowing bubbles. Kiri stressed however, that although these devices can help, none of them replace the Active Cycle of Breathing which is still the cheapest and most effective way of removing sputum from the lungs. Exercise in general and walking in particular is also extremely important for loosening and coughing up sputum. Kiri went on to talk about the Salt Pipe which is a type of inhaler filled with salt. It’s supposed to help asthma, sinusitis, catarrh, snoring, hay fever and sometimes even eczema. It is thought that the salt removes contaminants from the air we breathe and in the lungs. It was noted that people that worked in salt mines didn’t get respiratory diseases. Inhaling salt and salt moist air cleanses the lungs and nasal cavities, calms and relieves inflammation and also the sinuses. Inhaled salt draws water into the sputum which thins the sputum and also makes it easier to expel.