It takes a village to control asthma and parents and caregivers need each other, working as a team, in order to control asthma. This chapter gives information on how to connect with your village: family members, your child’s school or daycare center, other parents of children with asthma and the rest of the community at large. By connecting with the community players in your village you can control your child’s asthma even when you’re not around and help keep your child healthy and safe.
Village Link 1: Parent to Family
Your child and other family members are often the first level of backup and support.
- Teach your child and other family member’s asthma, asthma medicine, and asthma triggers.
- Help your child learn to recognize when he or she is wheezing and to notify you or his/her caregiver immediately.
- Place the asthma plan in a well known location at home and review the plan with all family members old enough to help.
- Encourage your child and other family members to remind you and any caregiver of your child’s treatment schedule and dosage, should you forget.
Child Family
Village Link 2: Parents to Childcare Centers/Schools
The key things to remember are:
- Share the Asthma Action Plan
- Agree on Emergency Asthma Action steps
- Ask for help in giving your child medicines
- If your child is in school be sure to fill out the Medicine Administration Form (MAF) on pg. 67, which will allow your child to carry his or her asthma medicine in school and allow the nurse to administer asthma medicine to the school.
- Your child’s teachers are with your child every day. Remember to keep talking with them about your child’s asthma care.
- Make sure your child’s teachers know how to use a pump. Show them if they do not know.
- Tell your child’s day care providers or teachers to tell you if your child has an asthma attack or starts wheezing.
- When an asthma attack wakes your child up at night, your child may need more medicine the next day at school. Make sure your child’s teacher knows about the attack the previous night.
- When there is a change in your child’s Asthma Action Plan, give a new copy to your child’s day care center.
Teachers
Village Link 3: Parents to Parents
- It helps to talk to other parents of children with asthma. Talk with your child’s day care provider about starting an asthma support group for parents.
- These are asthma support groups with the following managed care organizations: Genesis, Neighborhood Health Providers, and Partners in Health. Talk to other parents at Allergy and Asthma at (212) 685-4225.
- You can chat online and find information on asthma at http://www.asthmamoms.com">www.asthmamoms.com
Parents
Village Link 4: Parents to Community
Buildings that are not well maintained cause many of the worst asthma triggers. Look out for these triggers in your building:
- Cockroaches or Rodent problems
- Leaking pipes and faucets
- Ceiling leaks
- Leaky or broken windows
- Holes in walls
If your building has any of these triggers get in contact with support groups and city organizations that can help you fix these problems. Go to page 58 for a full list of support groups.
