Vol. 31, No. 2
Acrobat PDF version of Growing Together also available
BREATHE
Asthma care at home
Dayton Children’s respiratory care team is now providing asthma care and education in the home thanks to funding from the CareSource Foundation.
Funding allows for Dayton Children’s to provide FREE education, equipment, home assessment, pillow and mattress covers, and even a new vacuum cleaner, if needed.
“The goal is to provide patients and families with the resources they need to eliminate asthma triggers, which can lead to asthma attacks,” says Belinda Huffman, pulmonary health and diagnostic coordinator.
What: BREATHE – Bringing Respiratory Education and Assessment to The
Home Environment – Provides three two-hour home visits to complete all training and assessment, as well as a fourth follow-up visit four to six weeks later.
Who: The program is for children of any age who are newly diagnosed with persistent asthma or who have had a recent asthma-related emergency department visit.
How: Call 937-641-3266 to learn more.
More about asthma
What is asthma? Asthma is an inflammatory condition. Typical treatment involves the use of inhaled corticosteroids to get the asthma under control and to keep it under control.
Does your child have asthma?
Consider the following:
- Children do not regularly cough in their sleep if they are well (no colds or flu).
- Children should not be coughing during exercise.
- Children should not have wheezing or shortness of breath.
Contact: Talk to your child’s pediatrician or family doctor if you suspect your child has asthma. He or she can make a referral to Dayton Children’s pulmonary medicine department. If your child has already been diagnosed and you are interested in the home education program, call 937-641-3266
| Dayton Children's Focus Looking forward to spring with Dayton Children's |
| In-home asthma education program |
Parents who have children with asthma know that the blooming flowers, leafing trees and even the April showers of spring can be a difficult time for their children. Tommy and Kristi Davis are feeling more comfortable this spring, since they, along with their 12-year-old son Latrell, have participated in a unique new program offered by The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton.
BREATHE – Bringing Respiratory Education and Assessment to the Home Environment – was created by Dayton Children’s with funding from the CareSource Foundation.
Latrell with his mom, Kristi Davis
“Latrell was hospitalized at Children’s in January. He had caught a cold, but it wasn’t getting any better, so his pediatrician had him admitted to the hospital. That’s when we learned about the in-home asthma education program,” says Kristi.
Asthma is the top reason children are admitted to Dayton Children’s. According to Belinda Huffman, pulmonary health and diagnostic coordinator at Dayton Children’s, it is also a significant cause of school and work absences for kids and their parents.
Pollen, mold, animal dander, air pollution, secondhand smoke, car exhaust…these are just a few of the common asthma triggers that can bring on an asthma attack.
“Controlling a child’s asthma is critical,” Huffman says. “At Dayton Children’s individualized asthma care plans combined with patient-family education are key to reducing the risks of asthma attacks and school absences.”
BREATHE provides another option for families of children with asthma.
“We help families eliminate or minimize asthma triggers in the home. We also go over their child’s medication, provide needed equipment and monitoring devices, teach breathing and relaxation techniques, and stress the importance of exercise and nutrition,” Huffman explains. Funding from the program also allows for an environmental assessment and, if needed, mattress and pillow covers and a new vacuum cleaner may be provided at no charge.
“Learning more about the triggers in the home and using the peak flow meter regularly to monitor Latrell’s asthma were the greatest benefits of the program for us,” Kristi explains.
Key to the program is the individualized asthma care plan, which is developed in collaboration with the child’s doctor. “This plan is important in helping the child and the family control the child’s asthma, which can reduce the risk of life-threatening asthma attacks,” Huffman explains.
Denise Dodson, a respiratory therapist at Dayton Children’s, uses a computer program to measure how Latrell’s lungs are working.
Kathy Walton of Middletown read about the program in the Middletown Journal and called Dayton Children’s to sign up. “I have two children with asthma – my son Jacob, who is 8, and my daughter Alisa, who is 13.”
Huffman points out the home education program can be particularly effective because many families learn better and feel more comfortable asking questions when they are in familiar surroundings rather than in a hospital room. “They are less overwhelmed and are more relaxed,” Huffman says.
“Jacob loves the program,” says Kathy. “The therapist from Dayton Children’s talks to him and relates to him, so he feels involved. He also enjoyed the visual aids and computer program that gave him more information about asthma and what causes it.”
The Davises have completed the BREATHE program and look for-ward to a trouble-free spring for Latrell.
“The last thing we want is to end up in the hospital again,” Kathy Davis says. “Learning what we did from the in-home education program has given us the knowledge we need to keep Latrell’s asthma under control.”
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Table of Contents |
Health Beat
Extreme skateboarding safety
When a child is in danger
Summer camps for kids with special needs
Features
Looking forward to spring with
Dayton Children's
In-home asthma education program
Spinal surgery keeps Kettering teen...
On Track for College
Neurosurgery
Wallace Critical Care Complex
Beavercreek Testing Center opens
Pediatric specialist joins the Dayton Children's staff
Children's Miracle Network Telethon coming soon
Celebrating 40 years at Dayton Children's
Cool new things on Dayton Children's website
Free online updates from Dayton Children's
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