To Help Parents “Talk Asthma” (NAPSA)—Parenting expert Jo Frost has partnered with nonprofit family health organization Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA)and Merck & Co., Inc. to launch “Time 2 Talk Asthma,” a new educa- tional campaign designed to help parents and other caregivers manage childhood asthma. Jo Frost is no stranger to asthma. She’s had the condition since she was 5 years old, which is why she teamed up with AANMA to offer practical parenting tips, timely asthma infor- mation and tools to enrich con- versations among parents, family members’ children, health care providers, teachers and friends. Their straightforward facts and advice are available at www.Time2TalkAsthma.com. “Parents of children with asthma have a big job on their hands. Not only are they dealing with all the day-to-day parenting challenges, they also have to coordinate care for the child with asthma, which may seem daunting,” said Jo Frost. “Our goal is to show parents how to make the most of each conversation with health care providers and others involved in the care of their children.” Parents can download a comprehensive brochure with tips and tools to help tackle frequent parenting issues that may arise when caring for a child with asthma. From addressing sibling rivalry to enforcing a daily asthmacareroutine and handling playdates and summer camp, the brochure goes through a numberofspecific situations when a parent or other caregiver may need some extra help and advice from the experts to make life with asthma more manageable. The “Time 2 Talk Asthma” downloadable brochure addresses four important areas of discus- sion: including “Managing Asthma at Home,” “Managing Asthma Outside the Home,” “Speaking With Your Child” and “Speaking With Your Child’s HealthCare Provider.” Also available on the Web site are an asthma symptom diary and asthmaaction plan that can be used to help make the most of each appointment with the child’s health care provider to help manage and prevent asthma symptoms. “Learning how to identify asthma symptoms, avoiding allergens and irritants, and better understanding the condition are some of the measures parents can take to help control their child’s asthma,” said James Sublett, M.D., AANMA Medical Adviser.“ As a pediatric allergist, I take the time necessary to listen to the concerns of parents and my patients, because the more they tell me, the better able I am to create an asthma action plan that is workable at home, school and play. That’s why having an open dialogue is so important.” Asthma shouldn’t prevent children from enjoying a full and active life. Visit www.Time2Talk Asthma.com to get tools and techniques that help parents get the conversation started and control their child’s asthma.
