Can anyone point me in the direction to get good information about Brittle Asthma for my employer?
Ive been given the ok to return to work on a very gradual phased return, but my employer (only a small company!) is terrified Im going to have an attack in a clients home! However much I try to reassure him that my brittle asthma doesnt mean Im ok one minute and then unconscious the next, he doesnt seem to understand. Im sure he would feel better if maybe I had an ambulance following me around all evening! Im a community carer for those that are wondering!!!
He has very limited experience of asthma and like most, hadnt heard of brittle asthma. All the info I have found for employers is geared towards asthma, not brittle or the more extreme end of the asthma spectrum.
Whilst I do understand his concerns, especially as he is aware Ive had two near fatal attacks this year, it is getting a little frustrating that he still feels Im a liability, and he doesnt seem to listen to the information I have given him. Im am very grateful to still have a job and know he has a duty of care to both me and my clients but I wish he would listen!!!
So it would be great if I could get a leaflet etc on brittle asthma to help him understand.
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would asthma uk not have one? may it be worth a suggestion to them for them to produce one as I'm sure you're not the only one who is wondering this also.
Hope you manage to find something, I'm sorry I can't be of any help to point you in the direction of information or a leaflet you could give to your boss.
It's a link to the Severe & Brittle Asthma Unit in Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, if they don't have something online maybe you could give them a call or email to see if they'd be able to send you a leaflet or two.
Good luck x
I expect your work are probably risk assessing you for lone working and probably thinking it may not be a practical option... Is there anyway you can work
I expect your work are probably risk assessing you for lone working and probably thinking it may not be a practical option... Is there anyway you can work with someone else in case there is a medical emergancy whilst at clients homes...
I can sympathise with this situation as my employer stopped me from working off site as I am a brittle asthmatic and also have anaphylactic reactions so going into peoples homes and other sites was a nightmare... To date I have not found any info that might be helpfull to you in this situation as there is not very much around for brittle asthmatics apart from those already suggested.
Not sure if this is quite what you're looking for but for Asthma UK information on severe/brittle asthma , have a look along the green bar at the top of the page under 'Home > All about asthma > Factfiles > Severe asthma symptoms and ways to control them': asthma.org.uk/all_about_ast... and also 'Home > How we help > Publishing reports > Fighting for breath - severe asthma report': asthma.org.uk/how_we_help/p...
Speak to your GP or asthma nurse or try the helpline very good info. At least your employer is looking after you health & safety and there duty of care to you.
My respiratory nurse specialist came and chatted to the people I work with about brittle asthma. It definitely helped them understand more about brittle asthma, and I think they felt more comfortable after being told by a professional that I wasn't about to drop down dead one day! The talk gave the basics of asthma, moving on to severe/brittle asthma, then there was time for questions - there were plenty asked!!
Is this something maybe you could talk to your respiratory nurse about?
Im only going to be doing double-up calls for the first few weeks back, so should feel safer with a co-worker. Of course I do not want to put any client in danger, and wouldnt consider going back to work if I thought I was a risk.
I will try to get my employer to read the asthma uk reports, and will try to get my respiratory nurse to call him too. I think he will feel more comfortable hearing the infomation from a professional, even if its the same things Ive told him!!
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