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Dear Friend,
I can’t believe it’s November already! However, before we head into the festive season and enjoy school holidays and family time, today we want to focus on World COPD Day.
Annually in November, World COPD Day focuses on the importance of lung health, with the simple fact that your lungs are for life. Asthma WA is the primary consumer-based service provider for both asthma and COPD in the State. Our community-based health services create a safety net between primary and tertiary care, especially for the vulnerable in our community. Over the next week, you’ll see Asthma WA pop up at select public hospitals and watch out for our COPD resources on our socials. The last few months have been a hive of activity, with our annual Wheezy Walk, the return of face-to-face consultations at the Children’s Asthma Hub and the re-establishing of bulk billed lung function testing clinics.
Whilst it has been another unpredictable year, the team has remained focused on early intervention and supporting our community with minimal disruption.
Of course, none of this would be possible without our generous funders, sponsors and donors, and in this month’s newsletter, we have the opportunity to thank them for ensuring our free services can continue to help people live their best lives, and stay out of the hospital.
I hope you enjoy our last newsletter for 2022. As always, my thanks for your confidence in our services, and your support.
Wishing you all the very best for Christmas and the new year.
Donna Rendell
Chief Executive Officer
Asthma WA
Your Lungs for Life - World COPD Day 16th November
Today, November 16, is World COPD Day, marking the beginning of COPD Week.
Organised by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and in collaboration with healthcare professionals and COPD patient groups throughout the world, the aim is to raise awareness, share knowledge, and encourage discussion around ways to reduce the burden of COPD worldwide.
This year’s theme is “Your Lungs for Life" and highlights the importance of lifelong lung health. Throughout our lives, keeping lungs healthy is an integral part of ongoing health and well-being. This campaign focuses on factors that contribute to COPD from birth to adulthood and what we can do to promote lifelong lung health as well as protect vulnerable populations.
As we wrap up Wheezy Walk for another year, we want to thank the 538 participants who walked, sashayed, swam and even danced their way to 30,677,002 steps (yes that’s millions!) to shine a light on asthma.
A huge thanks also to our inaugural Major Sponsor Northern Star Resources Limited, who not only supported us financially but also encouraged their staff to regularly walk and raise additional funds.
Many other WA businesses also got in the Wheezy Walk spirit and agreed it was a great way to engage staff in health and wellbeing in the workplace. With the combined generosity and fitness finesse of all of our participants and corporate partners, we reached our Wheezy Walk target. How much was raised? Read the full article here
Stop The Vape Today
You may have noticed an increase in people vaping when you are out and about in the community, or you may have even tried it yourself. We are hearing people saying that they have given up smoking by taking up vaping, thinking it is safer, and the number of people vaping in some countries is now higher than smoking.
Spacers, Aren’t A Waste Of Space
Did you know Asthma WA has a shop you can visit in West Perth or online where you can purchase anything asthma related? From spacers and masks to dust mite bedding and action (emergency) kits, we have a range of products suitable for individuals, schools, and community groups. This month, our focus is on spacers and how they should be used.
Meet Andrew Wilkinson
Thank You, McCusker Charitable Foundation
Our work in the COPD space is vital, however it is difficult to find funding to support our typically older West Australians impacted by this degenerative chronic respiratory disease. Whilst it is incurable, it is also manageable with the right care and support. We believe quality of life is important at all ages, and the elderly should not be relegated to diminished health care. Luckily, so does the McCusker Charitable Foundation.
The McCusker Family Board recognised our vital work in this area by recently renewing their funding for our McCusker Respiratory Health Nurse position. This crucial role allows us to continue our essential clinical support and education amid a background of increasing cost of living pressures, particularly costs of medication, growing GP shortages and a strained health system. It will also support our important early intervention work with children through our Children’s Asthma Hub. We are more grateful than ever for the ongoing support from the McCusker Charitable Foundation.
Asthma WA hosted our Annual General Meeting 2022 on 7 November 2022. Attended by life members, volunteers, staff and our Board of Directors, the organisation's year in review and financial report were shared along with key accomplishments and highlights of the year.
During the AGM long time Board Director, Steve Mummery, was bid farewell, after serving five years on the Board where he provided great insights and leadership and even stepped in as Acting CEO before current CEO Donna Rendell took the helm. We thank Steve for his commitment and dedication and wish him all the best in the future - we will miss you!
Our Health Services Team have been transitioning back to the office as well as increasing their face-to-face workshops in the community. We are also delighted to welcome back from maternity leave, Bianca our Respiratory Health Educator and Physiotherapist and welcome her beautiful new baby boy, Walter to the Asthma WA family.
“It's great to be back at work and make a positive impact on the lives of people in WA living with a respiratory condition! Being a mum has made me understand how hard it can be to see your little one struggle when they are sick. I speak to so many concerned parents of children with asthma who are struggling and have come to realize how valuable Asthma WA’s Children’s Asthma Hub is to our community!” – Bianca
Since returning to work, Bianca has hit the ground running with many individual respiratory education sessions over the phone and via video conference. She also delivered an asthma school talk at Wooroloo Primary School, answering all their questions about asthma first aid and how to maintain healthy lungs! Wooroloo Primary School will also be participating in Bust Out in Blue program to raise awareness of asthma in schools as well as raise much needed funds for us.
The month of October has seen a return of face-to-face consultations at the Children’s Asthma Hub, including resuming lung function testing.
Across the last nine months, the clinics ran via telehealth and whilst this was not always ideal, in many ways it worked positively for our families, especially those isolating at home with COVID-19 or other viruses.
During this time, we also took the opportunity to ensure our screening measures and infectious control protocols met the requirements of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS). As shared in our last newsletter, this meant upgrading our ventilation systems in our clinic rooms in West Perth along with the purchase of PPE and training of staff, thanks to our generous donors.
With the recommencement of face-to-face sessions, we are working our way through the wait list of patients who were unable to attend lung function testing, as well as welcoming new patients needing a review or formal diagnosis. To meet this need we have added additional lung function testing only clinics with our Respiratory Scientist and Respiratory Nurse Educator so we can see as many patients as possible
Managing Asthma During Djilba
As part of getting our Health Services Team back out in the community providing education sessions, we were invited to Moorditj Koort Aboriginal Corporation for a ‘Managing Asthma during Djilba Season and Asthma First Aid' workshop, to support their staff in ongoing professional development.
Staff members that attended included Care Coordinators and Outreach Officers, interested in learning more about respiratory conditions that impact their clients and gaining confidence in managing asthma emergencies.
Opportunities to provide education and support to organisations and workplaces are an essential part of our work and helps increase awareness and improve understanding of asthma and how it impacts people’s lives. We can also help people understand how to decrease triggers for those around them and improve community safety by having more people trained in managing a life-threatening asthma attack. Thanks, Moorditj Koort Aboriginal Corporation for helping us spread important information about asthma and how to maintain lung health!
Click here if you are interested in Asthma WA coming to your workplace or community group to provide an education session.
Make A Difference This Christmas
No one could ever imagine a trip to the footy would end in such tragedy. But just fifteen minutes after walking out of Optus Stadium on a calm, spring evening last September, mum and wife Jane, would take her last breath, as her husband watched on helplessly. And the sad truth is, Jane’s death may have been preventable.
While uncontrolled asthma continues to kill our loved ones and rob thousands more of a high quality of life, Asthma WA has the knowledge and services to help people right now!
And it’s caring people like you who will make that possible. Please consider donating today to protect other families from the devastation asthma can cause.
*Jane’s name has been changed to protect the privacy of the family
Reboot Your Fitness At HBF Stadium!
Reboot your fitness – gym, group classes and the pool! HBF Stadium in Mt Claremont and HBF Arena in Joondalup are giving away a free 10-day pass. Gym membership gives you access to fully equipped gyms, with an initial fitness appraisal and introductory personalized exercise program; over 80 group fitness classes each week, including Aqua, Yoga, Pilates and more; and 50 m swimming pools.
Simply present this pass to gym reception to receive your 10-day FREE trial.
VenuesWest is a Community Partner of Asthma WA
Every year, the Asthma WA team come together to participate in the Telethon Family Festival. Even wet weather couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm from the crowd who partook in our popular Spin and Win competition, as well as talking to our Respiratory Health Nurses and Educators about asthma and COPD.
Puff, Asthma WA’s big blue dragon mascot, also delighted families throughout the day and posed for selfies with other mascots for our socials.
Asthma WA’s Children’s Asthma Hub is a recipient of Telethon and the generosity of WA families and businesses. Far too many children go undiagnosed and untreated for asthma, missing out on so much of what it means to simply be a child.
The Hub solves this for families by combining lung function testing, consultation with a Paediatric Respiratory Specialist and an education session with a respiratory nurse to answer all their questions, all in one location, and it’s bulk billed.
Thank you to everyone who dropped by to say Hi! our team had a blast meeting all of you and look forward to seeing you next year.
- 16 November – World COPD Day
- 5 December - International Volunteer Day
- 17 December – School holidays begin
- Midday 23 December to 9 January 2023 – Asthma WA offices closed
- 25 December – Christmas Day
- 26 December – Boxing Day
- 1 January – New Year’s Day
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