WOULD YOU CONSIDER BEING A “BREATHE EASY SUPPORTER” in 2021
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Asthma New Zealand is a non-profit organisation and every donation helps to provide free service to New Zealanders impacted by Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Without a doubt 2020 has changed us forever. Whilst we have all been in the same ocean, we have certainly not been in the same boat. Some have weathered the storm in a ship, others have been holding together a life-raft made of cardboard. Loneliness has increased at alarming rates, especially for those with chronic health conditions and disabilities.
Our Nurses are busier than ever, a global respiratory pandemic has a powerful way of challenging those with respiratory diseases to understand and do all they can to ensure they are managing their condition well. When we have been unable to visit face-to-face we have zoomed, face-timed and WhatsApp, tools we never knew existed until 2020!
Just as 2020 has changed how we function as a global village, the landscape of giving has also changed with many now considering very carefully where their money should go and what it should do. At Asthma NZ, we have spent a lot of time thinking about how we ask for support, and what we do with the generosity of our community.
Maintaining the trust and confidence of those we support has facilitated some challenging decisions. We are careful about whom we accept money from, meaning that we have made a conscious choice not to accept money for sponsorship of products. It is critical that you feel confident that we would talk about a solution for no other reason than we have seen other patients benefit from using it.
Sadly, the challenge to breathe easy is not going away, in fact more people each year are presenting with breathing difficulties and diagnosis of Asthma and COPD. New Zealand remains at the top of the list for asthma globally. We are asked frequently why NZ has such a high rate of asthma, whilst there are many reasons a significant is due to the quality of housing that we live in.
Our healthy Homes Kiwi Dream documentary has certainly done some heavy lifting when it comes to shining a light on the issues with our houses. We are about to get underway with filming a new documentary series that will empower Kiwi’s to make improvements regardless of their financial situation.
We are also about to get underway with a new gamification project aimed to increase the health literacy of our under 15-year-olds. Last year we launched O2Max, an interactive digital learning platform to teach our young people about their respiratory systems. You may be shocked to know that less than 30% of 8 – 11 yrs. olds knew where their lungs were!
Keep an eye out for our Nurse Educators, they are all driving awesome electric vehicles that are unmistakeably Asthma NZ. Each day they visit people’s homes, workplaces, schools, marae and community centers helping people breathe easier, to live well with asthma and COPD.
So, on that note, we really hope you are ok, that whatever challenges you may have faced, you are doing so with good people around you.
Your support means a lot to us as we continue to strive to reduce ASTHMA and COPD hospital admissions by 50% by the year 2029.
We don’t promise anything in return, no gadgets, no mugs, no desk paperweights. Simply put, we make the most of your support to keep our nursing team mobile and our patients loved.
