Lung Association programs help people breathe a little easier
- EFN Staff | November 04, 2014
Dr. Jo-Ann Episkenew knows firsthand that when you can’t breathe NOTHING else matters. Dr. Episkenew credits The Saskatchewan Lung Association with her diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea.
Episkenew has been a board member for The Saskatchewan Lung Association for 8 – 10 years. It is an affiliation that she holds close to her heart. Dr. Episkenew is a proponent of the caring people of The Saskatchewan Lung Association who offer programs and initiative that target sleep apnea, asthma, tuberculosis, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to name a few. The efficient projects, programs and initiatives and research being done by The Saskatchewan Lung association are community-based projects that are effective.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition that causes people to have short pauses in their breathing during sleep. People with sleep apnea can stop breathing, typically for 10 to 30 seconds or even longer, as many as hundreds of times in a night. The condition prevents restful sleep and can affect how a person feels and is able to perform activities each day. And, if left untreated, it can lead to a number of long-term health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure and depression. Episkenew is receiving continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. With that treatment, patients wear a mask that blows air down their nose and throat, keeping their airway open throughout the night.
A former smoker, Episkenew remembers a time when people would smoke while breast feeding. She is also concerned by the number of elders pulling oxygen tanks at cultural events. Tobacco cessation and tobacco-related diseases are the most targeted respiratory issues for Aboriginal populations. Saskatchewan has some of the highest smoking rates amongst youth in Canada.
She notes tobacco strategies must include Aboriginal smoking strategies that tailor specific messages about the historical ceremonial usage of tobacco as well as the health risks. The Saskatchewan Lung Association is directly targeting the effects of respiratory disease on Aboriginal health.
“Aboriginal people are playing a pivotal role in creating culture and in the prosperous future that affects health for all Canadians and The Saskatchewan Lung Association is one of the key players,” says Episkenew.