Lungnet

World COPD Day is fast approaching. Mark your diaries now for Wednesday November 19, 2008.   

Last year, 100 groups across Australia organised events to raise awareness about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with 47 of those coordinating a walk. Collectively around the nation participants walked 1604kms and The Australian Lung Foundation is hoping to top this result in 2008.

This year, The Australian Lung Foundation will promote taking control of COPD. We want to encourage people with COPD to "catch their breath".

There are things people with COPD can do to reduce their breathlessness and improve their quality of life. In particular pulmonary rehabilitation, including gentle exercise, is a proven therapy that reduces breathlessness and keeps people out of hospital.

To promote this message on World COPD Day, The Australian Lung Foundation will be organising a coordinated national walking event. Our message will be "Walk for COPD and Catch your Breath".

Our objective is to raise awareness of COPD and to get the message out there that there are things people can do to catch their breath.

Importantly for many people, their breathlessness will not yet have a name. We hope that our messages will encourage those people with symptoms of COPD (but no diagnosis) to see their doctor for a lung function test and to start managing their condition.

Or organize your own local walk (see How to organize a local walk for COPD)!

Content updated March 10, 2008