Pulmonary rehabilitation at Emerson Hospital is a comprehensive program designed to help patients with respiratory diseases reduce symptoms and improve physical conditioning. Health care professionals work with patients and their families to better understand and deal with conditions such as COPD, asthma, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer and lung transplant.
Emerson’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program provides patients with specific guidelines and recommendations for physical activity, while also providing their physicians with information on the patient’s progress in exercise capacity and duration. In addition, the program serves as a resource for educational information and emotional support for patients and their family.
Our Goals
- Increase knowledge and understanding of respiratory disease
- Control the symptoms
- Improve physical conditioning
- Function independently in daily activities
The Program
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program is eight weeks in length and consists of 16 sessions. Each session includes individualized exercise training using equipment such as recumbent and upright bicycles to improve aerobic conditioning and hand-held weights to strengthen upper body muscles.
Participants will learn about lung disease, coping with shortness of breath, and techniques to prevent complications such as infection. Medications, breathing retraining, bronchial hygiene, nutrition, oxygen use and safety, smoking cessation, stress management and energy conservation skills are also discussed. Family members and close friends are encouraged to participate.
Our pulmonary rehabilitation coordinator, who works with patients during their twice-weekly sessions, is a registered respiratory therapist.
You may be a good candidate for the pulmonary rehabilitation program if:
- You have difficulty with basic activities due to shortness of breath
- Eating, bathing, dressing, walking, or climbing stairs makes you short of breath
- Coughing episodes leave you exhausted or breathless.
To Learn More
A physician referral is required to participate in the program. Pulmonary rehabilitation staff will work with you, your physician, and your insurance to verify coverage for the program.
For more information, please call (978) 287-3715. Our fax number is 978-287-3128.
Support Groups
BETTER BREATHERS CLUB
The Better Breathers Club is open to anyone who is living with lung disease, as well as their family and friends. In addition to its function as a support group, the Better Breathers Club also hosts monthly lectures by pulmonologists, physical therapists, social workers, pharmacists, and dieticians on a range of topics relating to respiratory disorders and good pulmonary health. There is no cost to attend and refreshments are provided.
- Third Thursday of the month at 12 p.m.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING CLINICS
Quitting smoking is not as easy as it sounds. It often takes multiple attempts for people to quit, and the most effective ways are with the support of others who are working to stop smoking too. Our Freedom From Smoking group clinics help people learn how to overcome tobacco addictions and enjoy the benefits of better health, extra money and healthier relationships. These clinics get together once a week for eight meetings. Smokers age 18 and over who are interested in quitting are welcome to participate.
The Freedom from Smoking clinics were established by the American Lung Association and are proven to be successful to help people stop smoking. Those who use the program are six times more likely to be smoke-free one year later than those who try to quit on their own. Participants will learn about lifestyle changes that make quitting easier, medicines that can help stop smoking, preparing for Quit Day, managing stress, avoiding weight gain, developing a new self-image and learning how to stay smoke-free.
For more information on either group, please call 978-287-3715.
