HealthInfo Canterbury
Living with a child diagnosed with asthma
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What can I do if my child has asthma?
There are lots of things you and your child can do to help manage asthma.
- Keep in regular contact with your child's general practice team and arrange appointments to review your child's symptoms.
- Become familiar with your child's asthma action plan and know what to do in an asthma emergency. An action plan outlines what to do in various situations, such as when your child has mild, moderate, or severe symptoms. Give copies of the plan to your child's school, and to other people who look after your child. That way, everyone will know what to do in an emergency.
- Complete a symptom diary over a period of three to four weeks, to learn about your child's asthma and what makes it worse.
- Learn about ways to help manage asthma, such as avoiding cigarette smoke and other triggers, and keeping your home healthy.
- Print this Asthma warning signs and symptoms sheet. It tells you how to know if your child's asthma is getting worse, and when you should take them to see a doctor.
It's also available in Chinese, Samoan, Te Reo Māori, Tongan and Tuvaluan.
- Become familiar with asthma medications.
Who can help?
The following people and organisations may be involved in your child's healthcare.
General practice team
If you need to find a GP, you can search on this map.
CanBreathe
CanBreathe is an incorporated society that provides help and support to people in Canterbury who are affected with lung conditions such as COPD and asthma. For more information, see Support groups for breathing problems.
Christchurch Hospital Child Health Services
If your doctor is worried about your child's health or growth, they may refer your child to Christchurch Hospital Child Health Services, where your child will normally be seen as an outpatient. See the Canterbury DHB brochure about going to the Outpatients Department.
Financial support
To find out about the disability allowance benefit, see Disability allowance for children.
See Keeping your home warm & dry for information about the Community Energy Action (CEA) Charitable Trust. CEA might be able to help with reduced costs for insulation and efficient heating. Housing that is cold, damp or mouldy may cause you to have asthma, or make your asthma worse.
See How to become smokefree, for a list of free or cheap resources to help you quit smoking.
If you child has frequent or very bad attacks of asthma, or if you are worrying about the cost of calling an ambulance, you should consider subscribing to the St John supporter scheme. Then you will not have to pay for ambulance call-outs.
On the next page: Ways to help manage asthma
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed November 2016.
See also:
Review key: HIASC-12638
