A family disorder
Asthma really is a family disorder. There are lots of things that family members do, or use, that can trigger a child’s asthma, whether it be the family pet(s)that no one can bear to part with, the strong smelling colognes, hairsprays and body mists that some family members might use, or the scented candles and potpourri around the house. Then there’s cigarette smoke, cleaning products or the other well meaning relatives who love to have the kids on the weekends but have a ‘gazillio’ pets of their own. The whole family needs to learn about environmental triggers and how they can negatively impact an asthmatic child’s life.

Amy Burack, RN, MA, AE C, Former Community Asthma Programs Manager

 

Figure out a system so medicines get taken at proper times
For a lot of families it’s really hard to remember to take the medicines on a regular schedule.   Most of the medicines should be taken twice a day, but in the hustle and bustle of life that can get lost.   I try to help families figure out a system from so that medicines get taken or get used at the proper times.   For a lot of families that means trying to simplify their medication regiment, so they maybe just take everything at night 10 minutes before going to bed.   They can have a little checklist and check off all the things they’re supposed to do.

Shari Nethersole, MD, Pediatrician

 

Getting parents to stop smoking
It’s very hard to ask parents to stop smoking.   If the parents smoke, my advice to them is, number one: try to quit.   If they’ve tried before and it hasn’t worked, I tell them to try again, to keep trying to quit.   If they can’t do that, we work on trying to cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke.   I tell them to try decrease the number of times they light up just out of habit’s sake, and to only smoke when they feel they can actually enjoy it, and sometimes that’s enough to cut back from a pack a day to seven a day.

I advise parents, too, that they shouldn’t smoke in the car while the children are with them, nor should they smoke in the house.   I encourage them to use a smoking coat or jacket when they go outside to smoke, and to leave it either right outside or right inside the door.   Most parents are surprised when I tell them that smoke can stick to their clothing, and that most kids of parents who smoke smell like smoke themselves.   It is well documented that children of smokers are more at risk for childhood illnesses such as ear infections and asthma than children of non-smokers. It’s hard for a lot of people to eliminate smoking from their lives, and the people who have a really hard time with it are the people living in poverty who can’t always control their living situations.   If a family loses its home and has to move in with Uncle Joe and he smokes, for example, they have no control over that– he’s paying the rent!   I do try though to focus more on who the caregivers for the child are and get those caregivers to smoke responsibly.

Beth Klements, MS, APRN, BC, Asthma Clinical Nurse Specialist, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner