One important part of managing your COPD is learning how to talk to your doctor and other healthcare professionals about how you feel, how to take your medicines and other medical treatments.  Another important part of managing your COPD is finding help from others who share your disease and many of the same experiences.  Here are some resources to help you best manage your COPD.

This COPD Management Tool is a 3-in-1 personal tool that helps you talk with your doctor to make a plan that is best for you.  With a plan, you will know how and when to take your medicines, when to call your healthcare provider and when to get emergency care.  A management plan also helps you track how you are doing, any concerns you may have and any changes in your health that are important to discuss with your doctor.

Each person's COPD is different and so is each management plan.  We hope you will use the tools provided here to work with your doctor to make a plan that is right for you.

• Instructions for My COPD Management Plan
• My COPD Action/Management Plan

Get Connected.... The first step in living with lung disease means learning about lung disease. Join the thousands of others with chronic respiratory disease across the country who participate in the American Lung Association Better Breathers Clubs. These support groups meet regularly to learn about tips and techniques to better manage their disease.

• Better Breathers Clubs

Get Some Help......Through the Lung Association's Lotsa Helping Hands Web Site, visitors may create their own mini care giving site to help friends and family suffering from lung disease manage tasks and coordinate support - making it easy to manage support - and for someone to help in a really meaningful way.

• Lotsa Helping Hands

Quit Smoking.....The American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking® program offers help for smokers who want to quit.  This successful program is available in clinics and online. 

• Freedom From Smoking®
• American Lung Association Publications

Increase Awareness.......The American Lung Association is proud to be a partner of the COPD: Learn More Breathe Better® awareness campaign sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

• COPD:Learn More Breathe Better® www.LearnAboutCOPD.org

Lung Connection: Online Support Community

Our free online community for individuals living with lung disease and caregivers. The community is a place for members to discuss how lung disease affects their lives and to share life experiences with peers. » More