In a broader sense, comprises a range of interventions incorporated into the continuous management of patients with complex chronic respiratory disease who are symptomatic and often have reduced daily life activities compared with healthy elderly subjects.
Indeed, pulmonary rehabilitation programs should involve patient assessment and patient-tailored exercise training, nutritional modulation, occupational therapy, education, and psychosocial counseling.

The effects of pulmonary rehabilitation programs have mainly been studied in patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Supervised comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation programs of 8-week duration have been shown to result in clinically relevant improvements in quality of life and functional mobility in clinically stable patients with moderate to very severe COPD, without significant improvements in their pulmonary function.

Spruit M, Janssen D. Rehabilitation and palliative care in lung fibrosis. Respirology 2009;14:781-787.