Respiratory Wellness Centre Manitoba

Established in 1999, the Careica Health Respiratory Wellness Centre delivers our Community Respiratory Program. This program provides education and support for children and adults, in the Prairie Mountain Health Region, who have been diagnosed with:

  • Asthma
  • COPD (emphysema, chronic bronchitis)
  • Pulmonary fibrosis
  • Occupational lung disease

Or require screening for:

  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Mucus production

Our goal is to help these individuals manage their disease with fewer hospital admissions, fewer visits to their physician and fewer absences from school or work.

Careica Health's exceptional care through this highly successful program has already helped thousands of respiratory patients be more active and improve overall health and quality of life.

All Careica Health medical professionals at the Respiratory Wellness Centre are Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRT). They must also hold and maintain one of these certifications:

  • Certified Asthma Educator (CAE)
  • Ceritifed COPD Educator (CCE)
  • Certified Respiratory Educator (nationally certified COPD and Asthma Educator)
  • Certified Tobacco Educator (CTE)

Services

One-on-one educational clinics

Careica Health’s Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) will:
  • Perform lung function tests, a respiratory assessment and a review of the patient’s health history.
  • Teach the patient:
    • lung disease and the role of their medications.
    • how to recognize symptoms at an early stage.
    • how to identify and control environmental triggers.
    • breathing exercises to control shortness of breath (e.g. purse-lip breathing).
  • Show the patient how to use their inhaler (puffer), spacer and peak flow meter.
  • Help the patient:
    • recognize when to take their breathing medication in safe, effective doses.
    • reduce shortness of breath and avoid uncomfortable symptoms.
    • set personal goals and use their action plan.

Spirometry Testing

Includes:
  • FVC
  • FeV1
  • FeV1/FVC ratio
  • Fef25-75%
  • PEFR

Respiratory Assessments

Assessments are conducted for:

  • Clients who think they need home oxygen.

  • Home oxygen clients who feel their oxygen therapy is not as effective as it used to be.

  • Oxygen clients requesting an oxygen conserving device (OCD) for their portable oxygen cylinder or a portable oxygen concentrator (POC).

    (In these cases, the respiratory assessment includes two walking tests: a 6 minute walking test on room air and then one with oxygen to determine their ability to use such equipment and the oxygen flow rate they will need during exercise.)

  • Clients in the following programs: First Nations and Inuit Health, Veterans Affairs, Unemployment Insurance and Income Protection.

Group Educational Activities

Careica Health provides educational activities that cover a wide range of topics including respiratory disease prevention, technologies to aid treatment and promotion of wellness.

These include:
  • Asthma education sessions for children and teens
  • Smoking awareness campaigns for high schools
  • Participation at wellness fairs and exhibitions
  • Development of education programs for Regional Health Authority (RHA) groups and COPD patients
  • Educational support for RHAs, RHA Case Coordinators and hospitals
Inhaler Icon

Encourage proper use of inhaler devices

Careica Health provides easily sharable and printable PDF information sheets on how to properly use inhalers.