One of the toughest health challenges a person can face is the trouble of breathing. Center for Hospice Care comes across a lot of patients who experience this issue and encourages many of them to become a part of their BreatheEazy program.
Dr. Karissa Misner, medical director at Center for Hospice Care, considers the BreatheEazy program to be a monumental boost for patients who might have respiratory issues.
“This is a specialized pulmonary program for our patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” Misner said. “It can also be used for many other terminal diagnoses that affect the lungs. Whenever there is any type of illness that causes difficulty in breathing, we can utilize this program.”
There are numerous symptoms patients in this program might be experiencing that impact their breathing patterns. Center for Hospice Care provides each patient with specific medication to help treat their problems directly.
“One of the ways we help patients with their symptoms at the end of life is with medications,” Misner said. “Shortness of breath and anxiety are some of the biggest symptoms these patients come across. There are algorithms for medications we have set for the patients if it becomes worse. We also provide education about the use of oxygen for their shortness of breath.”
The program was first introduced in 2007 and focuses on optimizing the quality of life for patients in a variety of ways. While some parts of the program require regular visits with Center for Hospice Care, patients who enroll will also receive their medication kit with a customization to help manage their symptoms from home.
Chrissy Madlem, director of nursing at Center for Hospice Care, has been with the organization for as long as the program has been around. She has seen the BreatheEazy program face challenges over the years and appreciates how the program still plays a huge part in what Center for Hospice Care wants to accomplish.
“When we first started the program, we found that by monitoring symptoms up front and closely with our patients was beneficial,” Madlem said. “We would teach them how to utilize different tools to prevent trouble breathing and helped them remain calm which prevented hospitalization. We had less than 1% of our patients who needed to return to the hospital. Everything was paused during COVID-19, and we weren’t doing programming anymore. At the start of 2024, we rolled the program out again and have been doing it ever since.”
After rejuvenating the program last year, Madlem notes that they still sit at less than 1% of patients who have had to return to the hospital. In the last quarter, zero patients needed to be hospitalized.
“It’s an awesome program because when you are dealing with a life-limiting illness, the last thing you want to do is spend those final days in a hospital setting,” Madlem said. “We want our patients to spend that time with their family and friends. We make sure we have nurses staffed to go out and provide quality triage service that can intercept calls for us to manage care immediately. It’s all individualized to the patient as well. One person’s needs might not be the same as the next person's needs. Being that listening ear and allowing them to direct the path for care while letting them know what’s available is how we want to support these patients.”
As the BreatheEazy program has bounced back to form in the past few years, the goal is for Center for Hospice Care to continue to use this program to assist families that undergo these situations.
“We would like to continue to prevent rehospitalization,” Madlem said. “We also want to increase education and access to these services for patients. Getting the word out that we have this opportunity for patients who have any lung problems can help so many people in our local communities.”
For more information on the Center for Hospice, you can visit its website.
