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Allied Health: Articles of Interest Asthma camps help kids increase quality of life It’s that time of year again! Time to put the finishing touches on plans for your local, annual Asthma Camp. Some of you may well be familiar with the summer Asthma Camp experience; some of you have never considered participating in (little less organizing) a local camp. Nonetheless, whether you are a veteran planner, long time supporter and volunteer or are planning your first camp experience, I applaud your efforts! Some of my most memorable and personally rewarding professional experiences occurred while volunteering during our local overnight summer camp. Helping to provide a safe, fun camp experience for young people with asthma is truly a worthy cause. What makes Asthma Camp a “worthy cause” as I so call it? Well, there are several good studies regarding the scientific and tangible benefits of a targeted summer Asthma Camp on asthma morbidity. These studies looked at change in both objective and subjective asthma signs & symptoms, family knowledge, incidence of ER visits and school absences pre- and post- both day Asthma Camps and overnight Asthma Camps. Investigators consistently found that camps which included structured teaching moments and peer-discussion as well as regular, routine camp experiences produced significant improvements in measured criteria. Proof that education does translate into decreased morbidity (i.e. decreased overall financial burdens for all involved) may provide some leverage when soliciting sponsors…and may indicate that Asthma Camp is a “worthy cause.” Some studies argued that positive camp experiences (i.e. swimming, team building exercises, group games & canoeing to name a few) increase self-esteem in children who are often struggling with self-image and the accompanying developmental task difficulties sometimes found in children diagnosed with chronic diseases. Children with moderately severe and severe asthma (and their parents) may experience various levels of anxiety regarding participation in sporting activities, social gatherings or other events that may have triggered an asthma episode in the past. It has been noted that well-meaning avoidance of similar activities could then foster resentment, feelings of failure and possibly rebellion. If one child’s self concept could be elevated through one canoe trip, would we then deem that exercise as a “worthy cause?” What about the “city kid” who finds himself hiking a wooded trail for the first time? Or the “land-lubber” who learns to swim? What about the children who come to camp to HAVE FUN and escape the routine of the school year? Are these worthy causes? I say ‘YES!’ to all of these reasons. I wouldn’t have entered the healthcare profession if I didn’t gain some satisfaction from helping others improve quality of life…and that’s what it all boils down to. Asthma Camps help kids increase their quality of life. THAT’s a worthy cause. You’ll note that I haven’t gotten into the nuts and bolts of how one actually plans and implements a summer Asthma Camp. When I started doing research for this article, I found several excellent Web sites that do a much better job of this than I could do in the limited space available. The most complete web site that I’ve found is sponsored by The Consortium on Children’s Asthma Camps. This site provides an online “Tool Kit” with sections for Getting Started, Planning (which includes a handy budget worksheet), Marketing, Staffing, Registration,’ ‘Evaluation,’ and ‘Medical Considerations.’ The sponsoring Consortium has input from the AAAAI, ACAAI, ALA, American Thoracic Society, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This website also provides information regarding locale of established Asthma Camps and the availability of a ‘Campership Fund.’ www.asthmacamps.org Another helpful website that provides some insight into locating and evaluating summer camps is www.keepkidshealthy.com. This site, hosted by a pediatrician, provides a link to the American Camping Association and a section titled ‘How to Choose a Summer Camp.’ No matter how you go about getting involved, I urge you to do just that: get involved. Volunteer a few hours to a few days of your time, your creative energies, your medical expertise and your heart...for a worthy cause. |
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