People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are very sedentary and efforts to establish an active lifestyle are challenging because of periodic acute exacerbations of COPD that interrupt physical activity patterns and contribute to further decline in physical activity. The purpose of this preliminary research is to learn more about the experience of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) from the perspective of the patient and his/her family and to learn how AECOPDs affect physical activity.