Making plans can help but they can be hard to stick to when you are caring for someone. Breathlessness can be unpredictable.
- Planning ahead can help save precious energy
- Plan tasks for specific days, after you have prioritised the jobs you need to complete for the week.
- Try to space activities across the week to avoid doing things all in one day, or a few days close together
- You’ll need to work around appointments or events that can’t be changed. Try to book appointments for the time of day when the patient tends to have more energy, allowing time for getting ready and travel.
- Be flexible and try not to be too hard on yourselves if you need to change your plans. You may need to check and change your weekly plan several times during a week.
In the video below hear from carers and patients how they use planning to get important jobs done
“I’ve found it very difficult putting away – like doing a gardening job and then you’ve got to roll up the wires, the cable, and bring the wheelbarrow back, and it’s that last bit, “I don’t want to do that bit,” but you’ve got to do it because it’s got to go away in case it rains. And that is the bit that really does knacker you. I’ve learnt to put my tools in a bucket so all I’ve got to do is pick that up” – ‘Stuart’, person with breathlessness
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Page last reviewed: 08/05/2020
