Community Support Profile: Asthma Waikato
Asthma Waikato was formed in January 1973 by a group of parents with children who had asthma. They wanted to support each other and others in the community who were also affected by the condition. Today Asthma Waikato has 3 nurses / educators who look after the greater Waikato region. They provide education, information and support to people with respiratory conditions. They help people to understand what happens to their body when they get asthma and provide advice and tips on how to control it on a day to day basis. Clients are able to visit them at their office( 45 Pembroke Street) or they can meet you at a place that is convenient to you – your home, workplace or school.
Children are more at risk of getting asthma because they are small and their airways are small. That is why the majority of hospitalisations are children between the ages of 0-9 years old. To
In New Zealand 1 in 4 children has asthma and it is one of the most common causes of hospital admissions for children. Last year alone, 387 Waikato children were admitted to hospital because they could not breathe and it is estimated that 550,000 school days are lost every year in New Zealand due to asthma.
People with asthma have over-sensitive airways which react to triggers that don’ t affect other people. These triggers cause the airways to tighten, partially close up, swell inside and make more mucus. This makes it hard to breathe in and even harder to breathe out. respond to this Asthma Waikato has a great helper Sailor the Puffer Fish. Sailor was developed to help young children learn to manage their asthma by providing a fun, positive platform for children to engage with- he makes learning about asthma cool. He visits schools educating all children about asthma enabling those with asthma to better manage it and those without asthma to understand more about it. He has his very own website, ipad game and fan club. If you have a child with asthma this is a great resource for them to check out www. sailor. asthmawaikato. co. nz
Winter and the change in temperature can affect people with asthma. Asthma Waikato suggests the following advice to help reduce the effects of winter:
• Try to keep your home at an even temperature.
• It may help to use a thermostaticallycontrolled heater in the bedroom at night to keep the temperature around 20 degrees C.
• Wearing a thin, warm scarf loosely around your lower face can help warm the air you breathe.
• If you know that certain weather affects your asthma you may need to increase your medicine during that time.
For more information on Asthma Waikato and their services: www. asthmawaikato. co. nz
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