YOUR BREATHING SPACE WORLD ASTHMA DAY CHECKLIST
World Asthma Day (May 7) is just days away, and May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. What better time to check in on your breathing? This spring, we challenge you to:
- Have a plan – and stick to it. Our Moving the Dial research indicates that only 22% of us have an Asthma Action Plan in place, and only 44% know what one is! Order or print your plan here – your healthcare provider will help you fill it out.
- Get ready for allergy season. Tree pollen’s peaking and grass pollen’s just getting started. These common asthma triggers can cause a flare-up, so reduce your exposure by checking pollen reports at weather.ca and adjusting your outdoor activities accordingly. Stick to your Asthma Action Plan if your symptoms get worse.
- Protect your lungs during spring cleaning. Wheezing definitely won’t spark joy while you tackle tidying up. Keep your home well ventilated while using commercial cleaning products, and consider making your own non-toxic products instead. Read more tips here.
- Make the most of your check-ups. Planning a spring physical? Arrive prepared. Jot down your questions in advance, bring your current medications, and make sure you address any and all concerns, no matter how minor. Your healthcare provider is here to help!
- Know your treatment options. The days of one-size-fits-all asthma treatment are over. Today’s goal is the right medication for the right patient at the right time. Your unique immune system and other factors could make you a candidate for cutting edge treatment like biologics – so talk to your healthcare provider about any concerns you have with your current treatment.
Remember, our Lung Health Line is open year-round, and Certified Respiratory Educators are standing by to give you the advice you need to take control of your asthma.
From the staff and volunteers at the Lung Health Foundation , we wish you a happy and healthy World Asthma Day
Breathe deeper with our NEW Digital Learning Hub
Did you know that the Lung Health Foundation offers free, self-directed education and training opportunities for everyone who breathes? All you need is an internet connection and a passion for learning. Introducing our new – and ever-growing – Digital Learning Hub.
Public education spotlight: Learn how to help youth quit smoking
Imagine helping a young person quit using tobacco, and preventing them from becoming addicted to nicotine! Youth tobacco cessation is complex, but this resource suite will help people who work with youth – including healthcare providers – apply the principles of youth engagement and achieve real results. This e-module and coordinating resource suite is available for free through our Digital Learning Hub. Click here to start learning now!
Fitness for Breath brings its workouts southwest
Great news for Windsor-Essex: Fitness for Breath, our empowering respiratory exercise maintenance program, is expanding into two new sites in the Windsor-Essex region this fall.
Fitness for Breath engages older adults and seniors in regular physical activity to motivate them to maintain an active lifestyle, help to manage their chronic lung disease and to continue the gains received from their participation in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs. For people with chronic lung disease, regular exercise results in fewer flare-ups and hospitalizations and a better overall quality of life. Click here to find out if Fitness for Breath is offered in your community.
Our expansion into Windsor-Essex is made possible by a generous gift from Caesars Windsor Cares. Stay tuned for more details about how this program can help you make the most of your breath!
Harnessing the power of support groups
Have you or someone close to you been diagnosed with a lung disease like COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, or asthma? Have you ever wanted to share your own experiences, accomplishments and frustrations in dealing it? Support groups can give you the space to explore your feelings with people who understand. We’ll help you get started.
Find an existing group: Click here to find a support group, pulmonary rehabilitation program, or exercise maintenance program in your community. The Certified Respiratory Educators who staff our Lung Health Line can also help direct you to programs within your community – reach out at 1-888-344-LUNG (5864) or info@lungontario.ca.
Start a new group: With more than 2.8 million Ontarians living with lung disease, the need for support groups is growing! Luckily, our updated Lung Health Support Groups. guide covers everything you need to bring a supportive environment to your community – from defining your group’s norms, planning meetings, to spreading the word.
For more information on how you can make a difference by facilitating a support group, please contact Jody Hamilton, Manager Patient Engagement & Community Programs at jhamilton@lungontario.ca.
Your Dollars, Your Impact: meet our Cannabis Research Award recipients
A major gap was revealed when cannabis became legal in Canada: the lack of scientific research about how using it affects your health. We have joined forces with an industry partner to fill that gap by funding a research program that investigates various health impacts of cannabis use – whether used recreationally or as a medical option for chronic disease pain management and treatment. It’s another way we’re using research and innovation to protect your breath.
The results of these research projects will ensure there is a larger evidence-base to pull from when educating the public and healthcare providers about the impact of cannabis use on lung health:
New ways to support the work of the Lung Health Foundation
As leading funders of breathing breakthroughs, the Lung Health Foundation is used to thinking outside the box. Here are three new, outside-the-box ways you can support our work:
- Feeling lucky? Our first ever digital 50/50 raffle launches soon! If you’re a resident of Ontario who’s 18+, you’ll soon be able to purchase 50/50 tickets online at the cost of one for $15, or increase your chance of winning with 3 for $40 (or 10 for $100!) Will you win big and breathe easy, while supporting our research and support programs? Find out when our draw takes place on Monday, September 30. Additional rules and regulations apply.
- This Mother’s Day and Father’s day, Our Gifts of Breath make it easy to support the causes that matter to your family, at a variety of pricepoints! Use our Gifts of Breath portal to dedicate your donation to a loved one. You can even send them an ecard that lets them know that you’ve made Ontario a better place to breathe in their honour!
- Go “the extra mile” when you donate your old vehicle – whether it’s working or not – to the Lung Health Foundation . There is no cost to you, and the process is incredibly easy! Donate a Car Canada will facilitate all aspects of your car donation from the pick up to the final sale, ensuring that your vehicle will be sold for the highest sale outcome possible. They will then forward the net proceeds on to us, and we will send you a tax receipt. Find out more here.