COPD is a common debilitating and often progressive respiratory condition. It is a general term that includes conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is characterised by obstruction (narrowing) of the airways, which is not fully reversible. Smoking is the cause in the majority of cases. Around one million people in the UK live with COPD and it mainly affects people over 40. A flare up of COPD is one of the most common reasons for admission to acute care.
We are publishing this story in memory of Jim Kirkwood, who sadly died recently. We pass on our thoughts to his family and friends.
'I’ve lived all my life with a lung condition, asthma, but it’s only the last few years I’ve known about COPD. To come to terms with living with a lung condition is a journey.' Jim Kirkwood was a patient representative on the Co-creating Health team in NHS Ayrshire and Arran and lived with COPD. He explained how the condition affected his life:
'You find that there’s things you can do one day then the next you just can’t do it because you’re just out of breath – your lungs are not working right for you. Not only does it affect us, it also affects our families – it’s hard for them as well.
'With COPD you’ve got to come to terms with the fact that you cannot be cured but there are many things that can be done to make life easier for you and your partner. Co-creating Health is helping people like me cope better with their condition.'
Co-creating Health consists of three inter-related programmes, designed to work together, which target the patient, the clinician and the service. For patients this is in the form of a self-management programme. It is co-delivered by patient and clinician tutors and helps people with long-term conditions build generic self-management skills and knowledge, such as problem solving and action planning, alongside those more pertinent to their condition.
Jim is a very active member of the NHS Ayrshire and Arran Co-creating Health team. He has taken part in the self-management programme, is training to be a Co-creating Health co-facilitator and has spoken at events in Ayrshire and Arran to encourage more people to take part in the initiative. His experiences of Co-creating Health have been very positive and he has found it has really helped him manage his condition.
'It has made me more aware about what’s going on. It’s given me a wee bit more confidence, as well, and you learn there are a lot of people with the same condition but also that everyone’s slightly different!