‘Reel COPD’ Video Series Lets Patients and Caregivers Share Experiences

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals together with the COPD Foundation has launched a novel video series, called Reel COPD, sharing first-hand stories from patients and caregivers. The videos, three of which are already available at COPDTogether.com, provide personal insights into life with a progressive and chronic illness, and are intended to motivate and help guide others dealing with the disease.

COPD Together was started in 2013 by Sunovion and the COPD Foundation to help empower and educate caregivers by offering them ways to better cope with and manage COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

“As November is both National Family Caregiver and COPD Awareness Month, we feel it is an opportune time to focus on the instrumental role that COPD caregivers play,” said John W. Walsh, President and Co-Founder of the COPD Foundation, in a press release. “We will continue to build partnerships and implement campaigns that make an impact, encourage caregivers and patients to share their personal stories, and overcome day-to-day challenges.”

The COPD Together initiative has several educational resources and tools to help COPD patients and their caregivers deal with the condition, including “My Diary” to register medication and daily symptoms, the COPD Caregiver’s Guide, and a mobile app called COPD Care that helps monitor disease progression. COPD Together also encourages caregivers to maintain their own healthy and balanced lifestyle, so that they can better care for themselves and all family members.

“My wife and I chose to tell our story for one simple reason — a lot of patients and caregivers will benefit enormously from this information,” said James Nelson, a COPD patient for 20 years from Tucson, Arizona. “We are hoping to encourage as many people as possible to stay strong. Caring for a COPD patient is a tough job and there is much to know about understanding the symptoms, tracking medications, communicating with loved ones and administering proper care. That’s why we think that imparting our first-hand knowledge will be of great help.”

“As caregivers are on the front lines in managing their loved one’s health, we feel it is imperative to offer them tools to help recognize disease progression and take an active role in care,” said Michael Gaines, Executive Director of Respiratory Marketing at Sunovion. “Our team is dedicated to providing resources that support patients, their caregivers, and the full COPD ‘shared care’ team, as we advance our ongoing commitment to the respiratory community.”