It all began over a cup of tea and a couple of friends and the fact that I had just turned 50 and that I had reached the peak of my career and that, after reading ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’, I felt motivated to alleviate patient’s suffering and that, I thought nothing could be better than starting a Pulmonary Rehab Centre to help Chronic Respiratory patients, add life to their years. Every guideline and article talked about pulmonary rehabilitation as a part of therapy, but sadly it was not being given importance. This bothered me & that’s where our journey began.
Our core team includes Dr.Poorvi Devani Respiratory Physiotherapist. She was well qualified and had the right temperament for motivating and encouraging our patients. Dr. Poorvi has done her Master’s Degree in cardiovascular and respiratory sciences from G.S. Medical College, Mumbai.
Dr. Amrita Desai and Dr. Priyanka Jain are our other two lively physiotherapists. Nutrition plays a key role in Rehabilitation. Ms Mehvish Hamdare, our Nutritionist entices our patients with exciting nutritious recipes. We will always remember Dr. Ashwini Sansare, Dr. Nicole Pinto and Dr. Margee Rajeshree for their initial contribution to our centre. We are grateful to Dr. Maria Jiandani (Head, KEM Physiotherapy Dept.) and Dr.Nikhil Latey, now a sports physiotherapist with the Indian Olympic team. Both of them have been guiding forces for our centre. We have around 400 patients enrolled at our centre now.
Our patients have slowly learnt to accept their limitations, and strive to go beyond. They have learnt to take life ‘one day at a time’. We have been able to add life to their years.Besides Yoga and Nutritional advice, we also make it a point to vaccinate most of them. We nurture a small desire to bring in music as a part of therapy. But, it doesn’t stop here. There’s more to be done.
We plan to organize pickup and drop vans, so that commuting and commitment would be easier. My wife, Dr.Vaishali, has been the biggest motivator and the thread to bind them all together. The name “Pratibha Prabhakar” has been her thought in remembrance of my dear parents to whom I owe a lot.
Effective management aims to
Pulmonary rehabilitation is a central aspect of the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory diseases, for which treatment other than smoking cessation and long-term oxygen therapy largely aims at improving symptoms. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a relatively recent practice in respiratory medicine and is described as an ‘individually tailored and designed, multidisciplinary programme of care’ for patients with chronic respiratory impairment. There are several guidelines that define pulmonary rehabilitation practice.
Patients with severe COPD become progressively less mobile and reduce their activities of daily living (ADL). Peripheral muscle wasting is a common finding and has a negative impact on survival. Gains in body weight, muscle mass and strength are associated with better exercise tolerance and longer survival; consequently, improving peripheral muscle function is an appropriate therapeutic target in
