Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Cobequid Community Health Centre

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) combines exercise, education, and support to help you improve your overall health and well-being. PR is provided by a health care team and covered by MSI. Programs run for up to 3 months with sessions 2 to 3 times a week. Each session is typically 1 to 2 hours long.

The PR Program may be right for you if you have a chronic lung disease, such as COPD or lung fibrosis. If symptoms such as shortness of breath or decreased strength make it harder for you to do daily activities, the PR Program may help.

You may be a fit for PR if you:

• Have common signs and symptoms of chronic lung disease.
• Have shortness of breath, a stubborn cough, thick mucus and/or wheezing.
• Have shortness of breath that prevents you from doing daily activities, such as taking a shower or cooking.
• Have shortness of breath and fatigue (tiredness) that causes problems at work.
• Have to stop and rest after walking for a few minutes.
• Have feelings of stress or anxiety about your breathing.

PR may help you to:

• Reduce your symptoms of shortness of breath and feeling tired.
• Do daily activities more easily, such as taking a shower or cooking.
• Improve your muscle strength and flexibility.
• Improve your ability to walk and exercise.
• Be more physically active with less shortness of breath.
• Feel better and enjoy life more.
• Manage your weight.
• Learn how to manage your symptoms and avoid unplanned hospital visits.

If you would like more info about the PR Program, please call the program coordinator.

Tracy Cushing, RRT, CRE
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Coordinator
Cobequid Community Health Centre
Phone: 902-869-6140
Fax: 902-865-6073
pulmonaryrehabcobequid@nshealth.ca

Assessment

You will have at least one visit with members of the PR team near where you live. This will include an assessment of your current health, medications, and physical abilities. You will also have some tests, such as an exercise stress test, before or during your assessment.

Exercise

You will go to supervised exercise classes 2 times per week. Each class lasts about 1-1.5 hours. An exercise program will be developed for you based on your stress test, medical history, and goals. Classes include a group warm-up, exercise in individual and group sessions, and a group cool-down.

Education

Information about your condition will help you and your family manage your lung disease. The education sessions are about 1 hour long. Sessions will teach you about:

• how the lungs work
• exercise at home
• inhaled medications and how to use them
• healthy food choices
• home oxygen
• advance care planning
• action plans to help manage flare ups of your lung disease symptoms
• coping with chronic lung disease/stress management
• triggers and avoidance strategies
• breathing/coughing techniques

How is PR offered?

At the Cobequid Community Health Centre, PR is being offered in 2 ways:

• In-person 
• Virtually, through Zoom for Healthcare

You can discuss which program may be best for you by speaking to the program coordinator.

Talk to your family doctor or a member of your health care team about being referred to your local PR Program.

Smoking Cessation

Helpful Websites

Additional Resources

For more information, click on the link below to view the Nova Scotia Health pamphlet Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program.