Community news

Celebrating Lyn’s service

Lyn Tissingh, Manager/Nurse Manager and Respiratory Specialty Nurse from Asthma and Respiratory Management Bay of Plenty, is retiring after 17 years of outstanding service. In this time, she has become a well-known respiratory nurse throughout New Zealand.

Lyn (pictured, centre) trained as an RN at Waikato hospital in 1977 then worked in a variety of areas. In 2003, she was offered the post of Respiratory Nurse/Manager at the then Asthma Centre in Tauranga, which was run mostly by mums with an interest in asthma and one full time paid nurse.

“Lyn has been instrumental in turning the centre from an education centre for asthmatics into a centre of excellence for respiratory clients, which now includes COPD, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic cough and shortness of breath, as well as asthma,” says Elaine Page, Senior Respiratory Specialty Nurse.

In 2014, the Asthma Centre was rebranded as the Asthma and Respiratory Management BoP Inc, or ARM BOP. Lyn developed networks amongst Respiratory and Cardiac consultants, Respiratory Physiology departments, GPs, Māori and Pacific healthcare providers, practice nurses, community nurses and other health providers. She also attends New Grade training programmes and community nurses’ training days for education around asthma and COPD, and education in proper use of inhalers/devices/spacers among other things.

More people seeking vaping info

There has been a massive increase in visits to the Foundation’s vaping education website ‘Don’t Get Sucked In’ over recent months.

Almost 5,000 new users visited the site between February and June, and it attracted 3,500 visits and almost 10,000 page views from mid-May to mid-June. The Foundation has also been receiving an increasing number of enquiries and requests from schools and teachers too, who are hugely concerned about the worsening teen vaping problem. For more information, visit dontgetsuckedin.co.nz

Sailor the Pufferfish sailing round schools and kindies

The Foundation’s entertaining and educational asthma show, Sailor the Pufferfish, performed by children’s entertainer Chris Lam Sam, has been visiting schools and kindergartens in Porirua and Tawa thanks to the Trust House Foundation grant.

Feedback we received from the schools and kindergartens has been massively positive. One school teacher said, “I have asthma and think everyone should see this show. It’s a shame our whānau all weren’t here to see this.” Another added, “What you’re doing is amazing - don’t change a thing!” A kindergarten teacher told us, “I learned something new today - I didn’t realise you needed to shake up the inhaler for each puff.”

Healthier Homes for Kiwis

On 1 July, the Foundation welcomed the implementation of the new Healthy Homes Standards, which will make it easier for tenants to keep their homes warm, dry and healthy.

All private rentals must now comply with the Government’s Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a new or renewed tenancy. The Healthy Homes Standards ensure all rental properties must meet a minimum standard for heating, ventilation, insulation, draft proofing, moisture ingress, and drainage.

“This is great news for all tenants, and especially for those living with a respiratory condition,” says Foundation Chief Executive Letitia Harding. “Living in a warm and dry environment is good for everyone, but for people with a respiratory condition it is vital for them to stay well.”