Whether they are a spouse, a partner, a relative, or a close friend, caregivers within families make an important contribution to patient care. To help make the patient feel as comfortable as possible and to help set routines in place, it’s best for one caregiver to assist the patient as often as possible. This makes it easier for the caregiver to pick up on abnormalities or changes with the patient. When it comes to respiratory muscle strength training, the caregiver can offer valuable help by reminding the patient about his/her training schedule, recording training progress, and helping the patient hold the device during training if necessary. If illness or any other challenge prevents a patient from training during a training week, an additional week can be added to the program. If the challenges persist over two or more weeks, or if medication dosages need to be changed during the program, training should be stopped.
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