Living Well with Asthma: A Practical Guide for Families

1. Slide 1 · Living Well with Asthma

   Living Well with Asthma

   What happens in your airways and how to stay in control

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   Speaker notes

   Welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming. Today is about you and your family, not about complicated medical words. If I use a word you don't know, please stop me. We'll cover four things. First, what actually happens inside the airways during asthma. Second, how to use an inhaler so the medicine really gets into your lungs. Third, a simple action plan so you know exactly what to do when asthma gets worse. And fourth, how to tell if your asthma is well controlled. Most people with asthma can live full, active lives. Let's get started.

2. Slide 2 · Asthma makes the breathing tubes narrow

   Asthma makes the breathing tubes narrow

   Healthy airways

   Breathing tubes are wide and open

   Air moves in and out easily

   Lining is calm, not swollen

   Airways during asthma

   Lining becomes swollen and irritated

   Muscles around the tubes squeeze tight

   Extra sticky mucus blocks the way

   Result: cough, wheeze, tight chest, short of breath

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   [1]

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   Speaker notes

   Let's look inside the lungs. Air travels through small breathing tubes, called airways. In asthma, these tubes are sensitive. When something bothers them, like a cold, smoke, pollen, pets or cold air, three things happen. The lining swells, like skin around a bee sting. The muscles around the tubes squeeze. And the tubes make extra sticky mucus. All three make the tubes narrower, so air struggles to get through. That's the whistling sound called a wheeze. The good news: the swelling and the squeezing can both be treated, and that's what your inhalers do.

3. Slide 3 · Two jobs: calming swelling and opening airways

   Two jobs: calming swelling and opening airways

   Preventer (controller)

   Contains a gentle steroid that calms swelling

   Works slowly, over days and weeks

   Use as your doctor prescribed, even when well

   Reliever (rescue)

   Relaxes tight airway muscles quickly

   Use when you cough, wheeze or feel tight

   Some relievers also contain preventer medicine

   Always carry your reliever with you

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   [2, 3, 4]

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   Speaker notes

   Asthma medicines have two main jobs. The preventer calms the swelling inside the airways. It contains a small dose of inhaled steroid, which is very different from the steroids some athletes misuse. It works slowly, so keep taking it as prescribed even when you feel fine. The reliever opens tight airways within minutes. Many people today use a reliever that also contains preventer medicine, and research shows this lowers the chance of serious flare-ups compared with an older reliever alone. Your doctor will tell you which plan is right for you. Tip: if you need your reliever often, that's a signal to talk to us.

4. Slide 4 · Using your inhaler the right way

   Using your inhaler the right way

   The medicine only works if it reaches your lungs

   [5]

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   Speaker notes

   Now let's move to something very practical. Many people, even after years of using an inhaler, make small mistakes that mean most of the medicine ends up in the mouth or throat instead of the lungs. This isn't anyone's fault, inhalers are tricky. The good news is that a few minutes of practice makes a big difference. In the next slide I'll walk you through the steps for a puffer with a spacer, which is the most common setup. Please bring your own inhaler to every visit so we can check your technique together.

5. Slide 5 · Six steps for a puffer with spacer

   Six steps for a puffer with spacer

   Step	What to do	Helpful tip
   1. Get ready	Remove cap, shake puffer, fit it into spacer	Check the dose counter is not empty
   2. Breathe out	Breathe out gently, away from the spacer	Sit or stand up straight
   3. Seal and press	Lips tight around mouthpiece, press puffer once	Only one puff at a time
   4. Breathe in	One slow deep breath, or about 4 normal breaths	Young children can use a spacer with a face mask
   5. Hold	Hold your breath for about 10 seconds if you can	This lets medicine settle in the lungs
   6. Finish	After preventer, rinse mouth with water and spit	Helps prevent a sore mouth or hoarse voice

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   [5, 6]

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   Speaker notes

   Here are the six steps. Shake the puffer and put it in the spacer. Breathe out gently. Seal your lips around the mouthpiece and press once. Then breathe in slowly and deeply, or take a few normal breaths through the spacer. Hold your breath for about ten seconds. If you need a second puff, start again from the shake. After your preventer, rinse and spit. One important note: powder inhalers work differently. With those you breathe in fast and hard, and you don't shake them. If you're not sure which type you have, ask us to show you. Let's practise together after the talk.

6. Slide 6 · Your action plan: green, yellow, red

   Your action plan: green, yellow, red

   Zone	How you feel	What to do
   Green: doing well	Breathing easy, sleeping well, active as usual	Keep taking your preventer as prescribed
   Yellow: getting worse	Cough, wheeze, tight chest, waking at night, needing reliever more	Use reliever and follow the yellow steps on your plan
   Yellow not improving	No better after following your plan for a day or two	Call your doctor the same day
   Red: emergency	Very short of breath, reliever not helping, hard to talk	Use reliever and call emergency services now

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   [7, 8, 9]

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   Speaker notes

   An asthma action plan is a written page we fill in together, just for you. It works like a traffic light. Green means you're well: keep going with your usual medicine. Yellow means asthma is waking up: more coughing, wheezing, or using your reliever more often. Your plan tells you exactly what to change, so you don't have to guess. If yellow isn't getting better, call us. Red means danger: get emergency help right away. Studies show that people with a personal written plan have fewer emergency visits. Tip: keep a photo of your plan on your phone and give a copy to school or family.

7. Slide 7 · Danger signs: get emergency help now

   Danger signs: get emergency help now

   So breathless you cannot finish a sentence

   Reliever does not help, or wears off quickly

   Lips or fingernails look blue or grey

   Ribs or neck pull in with each breath

   Feeling very drowsy, confused or frightened

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   [10]

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   Speaker notes

   This is the most important slide today. These are red-zone signs. If you or your child can't speak in full sentences, if the reliever isn't working or wears off fast, if lips look bluish, if the skin between the ribs sucks in with each breath, or if someone becomes very sleepy or confused, call emergency services straight away. While you wait, keep using your reliever as your action plan says and stay sitting upright. Please never wait to see if it passes, and never worry about bothering us. Calling early is always the right choice with asthma.

8. Slide 8 · Is your asthma under control?

   Is your asthma under control?

   Signs of good control

   Few or no daytime symptoms

   Sleeping through the night without asthma

   Rarely needing your reliever

   Doing sports, work and school normally

   Time to see your doctor

   Symptoms during the day more than twice a week

   Any night waking from asthma

   Reliever needed more than twice a week

   Asthma stopping you from normal activities

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   [1, 10]

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   Speaker notes

   How do you know your asthma is well controlled? Think back over the last four weeks and ask yourself four questions. Did I have symptoms in the daytime more than twice a week? Did asthma wake me up at night? Did I need my reliever more than twice a week? Did asthma stop me doing anything I wanted to do? If the answer to any of these is yes, your asthma could be better, and we should talk. Often the fix is simple, like checking inhaler technique or adjusting medicine. Good control is the goal, not just getting by.

9. Slide 9 · Learning about asthma truly makes a difference

   Learning about asthma truly makes a difference

   36%

   Fewer hospital stays with self-management education and regular check-ups

   18%

   Fewer emergency room visits with self-management education

   72%

   Fewer serious inhaler mistakes after inhaler training

   29%

   Fewer flare-ups in older adults after inhaler technique training

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   [5, 6, 11]

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   Speaker notes

   I want to show you that what you're doing today really matters. Large research reviews found that adults who learned to manage their asthma, with a written plan and regular check-ups, needed the hospital about a third less often and went to the emergency room less. Inhaler training cut serious technique mistakes by around seventy percent, and in older adults it lowered flare-ups too. So these skills aren't just nice to have, they keep people out of hospital. Practise your inhaler, use your action plan, and come for regular reviews. Those three habits add up.

10. Slide 10 · References

    References

    1. 1.National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma-Summary Report 2007. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2007.09.043
    2. 2.Rayner DG, Ferri DM, Guyatt GH, et al. Inhaled Reliever Therapies for Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA. 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.22700
    3. 3.Crossingham I, Turner S, Ramakrishnan S, et al. Combination fixed-dose beta agonist and steroid inhaler as required for adults or children with mild asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013518.pub2
    4. 4.Eid NS, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Update on National Asthma Education and Prevention Program pediatric asthma treatment recommendations. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2004. doi:10.1177/000992280404300903
    5. 5.Marko M, Pawliczak R. Inhalation technique-related errors after education among asthma and COPD patients using different types of inhalers - systematic review and meta-analysis. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41533-025-00422-0
    6. 6.Maricoto T, Monteiro L, Gama JMR, et al. Inhaler Technique Education and Exacerbation Risk in Older Adults with Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Meta-Analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019. doi:10.1111/jgs.15602
    7. 7.Gatheral TL, Rushton A, Evans DJ, et al. Personalised asthma action plans for adults with asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011859.pub2
    8. 8.Toelle BG, Ram FS. Written individualised management plans for asthma in children and adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002171.pub2
    9. 9.Powell H, Gibson PG. Options for self-management education for adults with asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004107
    10. 10.Rothe T, Spagnolo P, Bridevaux PO, et al. Diagnosis and Management of Asthma - The Swiss Guidelines. Respiration. 2018. doi:10.1159/000486797
    11. 11.Gibson PG, Powell H, Coughlan J, et al. Self-management education and regular practitioner review for adults with asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001117

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11. Slide 11 · Questions?

    Questions?

    Use your inhaler well, follow your action plan, and call early if worse

    [7]

    Made with Doctoria

    Speaker notes

    Thank you for your attention. Let's sum up. Asthma means swollen, tight airways, and your medicines calm the swelling and open the tubes. Good inhaler technique gets the medicine where it needs to go. Your green, yellow, red action plan tells you what to do and when to get help. And if you notice symptoms more often, night waking, or more reliever use, come and see us. Now I'd love to hear your questions. If you brought your inhaler, stay a few minutes and we'll check your technique and fill in your personal action plan together.

This presentation was generated automatically to show what Doctoria can do and has not been reviewed as clinical guidance. Clinical cases in the examples are fictional.