Family
COPD can have a significant impact on the patient’s family not just them. As the disease progresses the patient becomes more dependent on others which is often a family member. Many do not wish to put this burden on their family leading to feelings of helplessness, anxiety and loss of freedom. As the patient becomes more frustrated that they are unable to do something themselves strain can develop on the family. The patient can become annoyed that they are unable to do things they would like to such as playing with grandchildren.
Impact on the carer
Caring for someone with COPD is demanding and is often a stressful experience. It can affect their physical health due to fatigue from having to constantly supervise someone and taking them to all doctors appointments. They can become frustrated of the patient’s attitude towards helping themselves, which can cause problems amongst family members. Anxiety can also develop as they do not know what to expect and start to fear leaving the patient alone in case something happens. They can also feel isolated as everything they want to do needs to be planned around the care they need to give. However, studies have shown that scarers feel a sense of duty to help and care for their family and have a sense of satisfaction that what their doing can have a significant impact on the quality of life of the person that they are caring for.