Laura brings a wealth of experience as a Registered Nurse, who has spent the last 9 years as a Certified Respiratory Educator creating and running the Lung Health and Pulmonary Rehab Programs at the North Simcoe Family Health Team. In this role, Laura has performed spirometry testing, as well as assisted healthcare partners with interpreting spirometry and pulmonary function test reports. She worked collaboratively with other health care providers to ensure that patients understood their diagnoses and treatment options while working hard to ensure she always provided a safe and comfortable environment to discuss patients’ needs and concerns while connecting them to community services.
My Lung Health Coach
My
Lung
Health
Coach
My
Lung
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My Lung
Health Coach
My Lung Health Coach is an evidence-based, person-centred COPD self-management and education service delivered virtually by our Lung Health Coaches, who are Certified Respiratory Educators (CREs). It links community members to their very own CRE, who will provide support, information, and coaching so that you can better manage your COPD. Once you sign up, we will mail you a booklet called “Living with COPD”, which is a resource that covers the topics that will be discussed during the program.
What are our patient advocates saying?
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The Program Formats
The Full Program
The Refresher Program
What can I learn about?
Our Lung Health Coaches have years of experience serving people with lung conditions.
Here are some examples of the topics that you could learn more about:
Knowledge of COPD
Smoking Cessation
Medication
Physical Activity
Mental Health and Wellness
Vaccinations
Breathing and Energy Management
Nutrition
Travel
Long-term Planning
Why Join?
Why Join?
What can I expect?
Program Registration
You register for the program
Registration Follow-Up
We schedule a registration follow-up call with you
One 10-minute call
Intake Assessment
The Lung Health Coach connects with you for the intake assessment
Two 45-minute calls
Program Development
The Lung Health Coach develops a tailored program plan with and for you
Program Delivery
The Lung Health Coach provides education and support for your COPD
If you have further questions about this process or feel like another program or service might better support you, please contact patientsupport@lunghealth.ca for more information.
Meet Our Lung Health Coaches
Laura Bifolchi
Registered Nurse, Certified Respiratory Educator
Diane Feldman
Registered Respiratory Therapist, Certified Respiratory Educator, Certified Tobacco Educator
Diane has worked as a Registered Respiratory Therapist and Certified Respiratory Educator for the Lung Health Foundation for more than 20 years. Prior to that, she worked as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in an acute care hospital. Her specific interest is in asthma and COPD management as well as other lung diseases, smoking cessation, and air quality.
FAQs
To participate in our program, you must be diagnosed with COPD and currently reside in the province of Ontario. Services are delivered in English. Individuals with co-existing or co-occurring conditions may be ineligible – if you are not sure, we encourage you to reach out to our team using the contact information below.
You can register online using the registration button above. You can also contact the Lung Health Foundation and someone can provide more information and assist you with registration.
To register, you will need to provide your name, phone number, email address, and address. We will be mailing all program registrants a “Welcome Package” containing print resources for managing your COPD and important program information.
A member of the Lung Health Foundation team will reach out to you to complete a follow-up call. They will confirm your eligibility and gather your consent to participate in the program and ask you a few questions to set up your profile in preparation for the Lung Health Coaches.
Upon registering, a member of our team will reach out to you for a 10-minute follow-up registration call with you to confirm your eligibility, consent, and general information. Once you are fully registered, you will be connected to a Lung Health Coach for your official Intake Assessment! This is an in-depth and comprehensive step of setting up your participation in the program. In order to learn about where you are at with your COPD, understand your personal needs, interests, and experience, the Lung Health Coaches will schedule two 45-minute assessment calls with you. At these calls, they will take the time to get to know you and develop a tailored program plan just for you. Then, your participation in the program begins! If you sign up for the full program, there will be 6 sessions across a 12-week period. Each session will be approximately 45 minutes. If you sign up for the refresher program, the frequency and duration of each session will be entirely up to you!
When you register, the Lung Health Coaches will need to gather information about your experiences with COPD to better understand how they can support you. They will ask questions on these topics to identify what strategies will help you manage your COPD best. They will also be able to follow your improvements or progress over time. Across two preliminary intake assessment calls, they will ask you a variety of questions about:
- Your COPD care journey
- Symptoms you are experiencing
- Things that could make your COPD more challenging to manage
- Your baseline knowledge of COPD
- Your current self-management behaviours and lifestyle
- Your participation in other programs and community resources
We will not record any of your calls. Details of each session will be kept completely confidential and in a safe and secure manner. Only the Lung Health Coaches, who are healthcare professionals, will have access to this information. The Lung Health Coaches may disclose confidential patient information in the extenuating circumstance in which they have reason to believe there is an imminent risk of harm.
The Lung Health Coaches are healthcare professionals and certified respiratory educators – they have been providing care and services to people living with lung conditions for years. Meet them here!
Register Now or Contact Us
Have more questions or need assistance with registration?
Please contact us at 437-216-5710 or patientsupport@lunghealth.ca