How To Know If Your Child Is Taking Their Asthma Meds On Time
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Once your little one gets to a certain age where they are mature enough, they will need to start taking their inhaler without supervision. This can be a daunting time for parents, who worry not only if their child is taking their inhaler, but also whether they are taking their medication correctly.
It’s so essential that asthma sufferers take their medication at the set times, to prevent any unnecessary attacks and maintain their overall health. You may get sick of nagging your child to take their inhaler, but persisting and continuously encouraging them can really make a huge difference. Life gets hectic sometimes, and it’s so easy to forget without enough prompting and reminders.
Asthma in children can be hard to manage, as there’s lots to think about and consider. But you have to remember, the most important thing to focus on is medication adherence. In the past, there was no way of really knowing if your child takes their medication properly, other than asking teachers and family members.
Or by visiting the doctor, checking their health and also giving them another run through of how to use their inhaler properly. But thankfully, technology has given parents a new understanding of their child’s asthma medication.
In fact, nowadays, thanks to innovative technology like the Safey Smart Inhaler, parents can know exactly when medication is taken. Our Smart Inhaler provides information to parents and carers like the quality of dose and when it was taken. This is such a relief for worried parents who are constantly concerned about their child’s health.
So, if you want to keep track of their doses and know if your child is taking their medication correctly and on time, it’s worth investing in a smart inhaler.
What is the Aerobit smart inhaler and how does it work?
Safey smart inhaler device measures quality of dose and adherence to asthma medication. It uses super smart hardware and software to enable children suffering from asthma and their parents to manage their condition more easily and effectively. Progress and critical data is sent to the app, which parents can view whenever they are concerned and check up on their child.
Here are our top tips for encouraging kids to take their asthma medication at the correct times.
1. Agree on set times
The first thing to do is agree on set times for your little one to take their medication. Then at least you know they will get into the habit of taking their inhaler at certain times in the day. If you’re around you can prompt them or simply keep a watchful eye on them to ensure they not only take their medication, but they take it properly.
2. Set alerts
If you’ve got a Smart Inhaler then you can get smartphone alerts and SMS notifications sent at set times. The inhaler also has handy LED lights on it which conveniently flash when it’s time to take a dose. This is particularly useful for when you may not have your smartphone or you miss a text, and it will light up on the inhaler as an extra reminder. If you don’t have a Smart Inhaler yet then you can always set reminders in a digital calendar or alarms on your phone.
3. Link taking medication to a daily task
Research has shown that linking taking medication to a daily task can help people to remember to take it. It’s easy to see why there’s so much research into this area, because approximately 50% of patients do not take medications as prescribed. Have a think about the common daily tasks your child does at the times when they should be taking their inhaler. Like washing their face or putting their pajamas on.
‘Cues can be linked to activities, such as meals or bedtime. An example of a physical cue is placing the medication container prominently by a toothbrush or lunch box.’ Once you get your child associating a common task with taking their inhaler, you can feel a bit more at ease that they will be more likely to take it on time.
4. Explain the consequences of missing medication
If your little one knows that they could quickly become poorly if they don’t take their asthma meds on time, they might be a little more concerned about forgetting. Obviously the last thing you want to do is terrify your child or make them feel worse about their condition. So do try to explain in an encouraging way and be gentle with your words.
For example, instead of saying something scary might happen, maybe explain that they won’t be feeling at their best, and remembering to take their inhaler helps keep them strong. As they get a little older you can maybe explain what happens from a medical perspective if their lungs don’t get the right dosage. What you tell your child is entirely up to you, but it is worth at least putting a little emphasis on why taking their meds on time is so important, so they understand things a little better.
5. Use a smart inhaler
We’ve explained a few of the benefits of using a Smart Inhaler such as Safey above. But it’s worth mentioning just how useful it can be when it comes to medication adherence. It’s a smart device that helps to take some of the stress and pressure off of parents with kids suffering from asthma.
Being responsible for your child’s medication is no small task, and it’s understandable that many parents show concern over whether their child is taking their medication on time, and properly. The Smart Inhaler solves all these problems.
Wouldn’t it be nice to get an update to your phone via text message or the Safey app when your child takes their medication? Or to receive an alert if they have missed a dose so you can easily rectify things and let their school or the people they are with know that they need an urgent inhaler dose. You can have your child’s medication adherence and medical stats right in front of you, which gives you absolute peace of mind.
Want to find out more about the Safey inhaler? Click here to see how it could transform your child’s life.
6. Communicate with your child
When it comes to kids with asthma, it can help to keep communication channels open. Don’t be afraid to chat to your child about how taking their medication is going. Ask them if they’ve got any questions or concerns about how to take their inhaler.
If they aren’t sure, you can always take them to their doctor to run things through with them again, because it’s so so important that they get it right. You want them to get the maximum benefit out of their inhaler and prevent any problems arising.
Striking the balance between checking in on them every now and then and nagging them to take their inhaler is very hard. Concerned parents want to remind their kids but often feel worried about overdoing it. Instead of having to ask your child yourself, maybe see if they would be up for giving you updates every now and then.
Check in with them every now and then and have a chat about their condition and what’s going through their mind, they might find it useful to have someone to offload to every once in a while. The main thing to remember is communication is key, and to be there to support your little one when they experience issues with their medication or condition.
