Charity Spotlight: COPD Support Ireland
Support all those living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
We'd like to know about your charity. Tell us who you are and what inspired the creation of your charity.
COPD Support Ireland is a charity set up to support all those living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We are Ireland’s only national COPD support and advocacy body, bringing together local support groups from around the country, to help those living with, and caring for someone with, COPD. We were founded in 2013 by patients working with the support of the Irish Thoracic Society, COPD National Clinical Programme, and health care professionals.
What impact does your work have on the community?
Our members, who are all living with COPD, benefit from our weekly exercise classes which are delivered in all 60 of our support groups around the country. We also provide them with educational talks, events and webinars, all with the view to improving both the members physical and mental wellbeing and enabling them to live their best life. Our work brings together COPD patients who often feel isolated and unsure of their future. The groups enable them to obtain peer support and gain valuable information on how best to manage their condition day to day.
Would you like to share a success story that really represents what you do?
We have a number of members who have shared with us how their membership and weekly attendance at exercise classes has changed their lives. It has shown them that there is a lot that they can still do, that they can do physical exercise and that there is support from others living with the same medical condition. Our aim is to provide all those who are living with COPD the support to continue to be a vital part of their community.
How has being part of the Vhi Women's Mini Marathon supported your charity's mission?
People who have taken part in the Vhi women's mini marathon on our behalf have enormously helped us to raise the profile of the organisation. Their fundraising has allowed us to improve and expand our services to more people who are living with COPD to allow them to maximise their quality of life.
Contact Info:
Telephone: 0860415128 | Email: info@copd.ie | Website: http://copd.ie