Free anaphylaxis e-training for the community (ASCIA)

As most families know, when your child has severe allergies it is difficult to keep them safe when you are not around.

It can be very daunting to leave your child’s life in the hands of others, whether it be the staff at school, friend’s parents or even other family members.

Yes, you may have told them about the allergies and how severe they are, but do they take it seriously and know what to do in case of a reaction? We have had some families tell us about the difficulties of getting even grandparents to understand.

All this can be very overwhelming for families as people are generally uneducated about allergies and how to treat them.

We also know that there are many people in the community who are willing to help, and just want to know what to do.

A new resource has just become available that might help. This is a FREE anaphylaxis e-training for first aid (community). It was created by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) to be undertaken by the broader community such as parents, friends, carers, patients, workplace or student colleagues and club members.

It is simple and easy to do if you have access to the internet. People are able to take part in the free course and gain a printable certificate of completion with their own name and mark.

This means that you can step aside and point those around your child towards the online course, which will help them understand allergies and how to take action in the case of a severe allergic reaction.

It will not only give you a piece of mind but it will give your family confidence to let your child go to play with friends, stay with extended family, or go on camps and sleepovers.

You or others can sign up for the course here by clicking on "anaphylaxis first aid" at bottom of page, to begin the course.

ASCIA also has online training for school staff and health professionals.

Give us feedback

Let us know how the course went and get a discussion going. Do you think this course is a good idea? Did you enjoy it? Was it difficult? If so what about it? Was it easier/harder than you expected? Who else would you like us to recommend this course to? Did it help your family? Do you feel better knowing others around you took this course?

Anaphylaxis 

 

Want more information about anaphylaxis? Visit our website here where you can find many helpful resources.

Colouring in competition

Mylan is running a colouring in competition through Epiclub as part of their Back to School campaign.

You can also download the form from the Epiclub website.

There are three categories in the competition; preschool, junior and senior. A winner and two runners up will be selected for each category.

The winners of each category will receive a $50 Toy World gift card and runners up will received a $30 Toy World gift card.

Competition ends March 31st.

Back to school - Allergy guidlines and tips

With the summer holidays coming to an end and children heading back to school it is important to start planning how your child's or student's allergy will be treated.

Helpful information on this topic can be found on the “Allergy & Anaphylaxis Guidelines for Early Childhood Services & Schools” booklet. Download the free PDF version here or purchase print copies from our shop online.

Here are some useful tips:

Parents:

• Communicating with the school staff is vital in achieving the safety of your child. Letting them know your child's allergy and how they are affected including the severity of it will help them keep your child safe. Make sure you can provide them with an Anaphylaxis or Allergy Action Plan signed by your child’s doctor.
• Enquire about substitute or new teachers, do they know about food allergy and anaphylaxis, have they participated in training on these? If not, suggest they go through the online training module here.
• With food allergies, it may be a good idea to ask the school how they will deal with certain foods being brought in to the school and how they will regulate food sharing.
• Camping can be a scary event for children living with food allergies. "Preparing for Camp and Overnight School Trips", is a helpful booklet with tips which can be purchased from our online shop.

Education services:

• Are staff aware of students with food allergies at their school?
• Are they trained in how to recognise an anaphylaxis reaction and how and when to use a child's adrenaline autoinjector?
• Do staff know how to minimise the risk of sever reaction for children with food allergies? No sharing of food is a good way to start, and a letter to other parents asking for their support may help.

Other useful resources:

Education Kits for Early Childhood & Schools including the guidelines, trainers, DVD's as well as books and other resources from our shop online.

• Anaphylaxis Action Plans here.
• Anapen Trainers & DVD from our shop online.
• EpiPen Trainers & DVD from our shop online.
• Free e-Anaphylaxis training is available for all staff from the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy here.

Keep an eye out, more tips to come!
Have a great day,
Allergy New Zealand