Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / The Asthma Foundation NT's Leanne Elliott-Holmes has some important advice for Territorians with respiratory issues as bushfires impact air quality

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The Asthma Foundation NT's Leanne Elliott-Holmes has some important advice for Territorians with respiratory issues as bushfires impact air quality · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: With those fires currently burning in the Greater Darwin and
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  Speaker 1: Top End region, it has led to smoky conditions that
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  Speaker 1: can indeed impact your health. Now joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line to talk a little bit more about this from
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  Speaker 1: the Asthma Foundation NT. The CEO Leanne Elliott Holmes, Good
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  Speaker 1: morning to you, Leanne.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Leane. We know there is a lot of smoke around
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  Speaker 1: at the moment, and it meant that NT Health actually
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  Speaker 1: issued a bit of a warning to Territorians yesterday saying
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  Speaker 1: that those fires can indeed lead to smoky conditions which
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  Speaker 1: can impact your health and to always follow the advice
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  Speaker 1: of bushfires NT and Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services.
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  Speaker 1: But Leane, it reeks havoc for asthmatics, doesn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look at gars, Katie. It really reads having for
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  Speaker 2: anyone with a respirasery cognition, whether it be asthma or COPD.
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  Speaker 2: We've got some simple steps for people out there to follow.
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  Speaker 2: The most important thing is if you don't need to
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  Speaker 2: go outside, don't go out side. Stay inside as much
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  Speaker 2: as possible, and if you do go outside, make sure
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  Speaker 2: you're wearing a mask, take your daily medication. If you
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  Speaker 2: are prescribed. You always carry your blue gray reliever of
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  Speaker 2: PUFFA and facer Katie Yes a safer and ensure that
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  Speaker 2: you are using your device correctly. If you're unsure about
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  Speaker 2: how you use your device, make an appointment with one
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  Speaker 2: of our educators and they can go over that. We
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  Speaker 2: know for a fact that ninety percent of people with
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  Speaker 2: a respiratory condition do not use their puffas correctly, so
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  Speaker 2: that's where we can help out following a written ASMA
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  Speaker 2: action plan or your COPD plan if you have one.
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  Speaker 2: But it's also a time where parents need to be
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  Speaker 2: letting schools know, letting teachers know if your child ASMA
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  Speaker 2: is going to be triggered by the smoke, and the
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  Speaker 2: school can take steps to ensure that the kids aren't
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  Speaker 2: out in the smoke, that they're going inside, and that
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  Speaker 2: they're knowing what to look for if the child was
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  Speaker 2: to have a flare up of their asthma during that time. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: most importantly, know your asthma first day, which is your
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  Speaker 2: four by four by four. Once again, you can access
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  Speaker 2: all of this on our website and Facebook page. As
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  Speaker 2: you said, we work closely with Bushfires NT and the
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  Speaker 2: mt EPA, and we also put warnings up on both
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  Speaker 2: our website, Facebook and Instagram.
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  Speaker 1: Yep.
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  Speaker 2: There's another thing you can do is download the air
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  Speaker 2: Lader app which tracks the qualities there in Darwaen and
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  Speaker 2: it also gets you to track your symptoms, so you
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  Speaker 2: get to see a little bit of a pattern with
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  Speaker 2: what's going on with your asthma and most importantly, if
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  Speaker 2: symptoms increase, don't hesitate c GP or make an appointment
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  Speaker 2: with one of our asthma educators at the Asthma Foundation
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  Speaker 2: and p Leanne.
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  Speaker 1: Have you seen an increase in people sort of seeking
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  Speaker 1: your help over the last week or so as we
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  Speaker 1: see these bushfires Birdie.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, definitely. The the phone has been reading hot
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  Speaker 2: with people with concerns about they're increasing symptoms or increase
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  Speaker 2: in a family member or a child symptoms. It always
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  Speaker 2: is this time of year. You know, we can't avoid
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  Speaker 2: the burnoff, but it's a time where we do really
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  Speaker 2: need to take care of ourselves and make sure we're
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  Speaker 2: managing our asthma or our COPD as best we can,
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  Speaker 2: because we know this is always a time where we're
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  Speaker 2: going to have smoke in the air.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, this is the thing and we do know
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  Speaker 1: that it happens each and every year, and you've got
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  Speaker 1: to make sure that you're on top of it. Now.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned there that air Ratar app. How is our
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  Speaker 1: sort of going at this point in time.
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  Speaker 2: It's very poor at It's very poor at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: And you don't only have to have driven, you know,
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  Speaker 2: from Palmerston into the city yesterday, you know from those
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  Speaker 2: smokes on we Shad Road and that it was so
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  Speaker 2: thick yesterday morning. So you know, we really don't need
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  Speaker 2: a map to tell us. We have to look outside
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  Speaker 2: of our skuy and see that, you know, very poor quality.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's tough going. And I'll tell you what my
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  Speaker 1: hay fever's going berserk as well. I know that there's
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  Speaker 1: plenty of people have been in contact with us saying
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  Speaker 1: exactly the same thing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, And this is where i'd say go and get
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  Speaker 2: a nasal flash and do a nasal wash and clean
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  Speaker 2: out those finass and be to your pharmacist about a
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  Speaker 2: nasal spray as well, particularly called a coaster a nasal spray.
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  Speaker 2: But the old nasal flashes are great and i'd strongly
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  Speaker 2: recommend once again, if you want to know about it,
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  Speaker 2: call the Asthma Foundation and one of.
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  Speaker 1: The start there can help you such good advice, and
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure that there's going to be plenty of people
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  Speaker 1: listening this morning who are thinking, oh, I might jump
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  Speaker 1: on the Asthma and Asthma Foundation MT's website just to
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  Speaker 1: get a bit of a better idea or get in
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  Speaker 1: contact with you guys. It is a great service that
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  Speaker 1: he's provided and we really appreciate you having a chat
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  Speaker 1: with us this morning, Leanne, not a problem.
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  Speaker 2: Can I just make mention that next week, from the
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  Speaker 2: first to the seventh of is Asthma Week and the
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  Speaker 2: Asthma Foundation will be out at Gateway Shopping Center next Friday,
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  Speaker 2: So if you've got any questions, call past and have
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  Speaker 2: a chat. But we're also celebrating forty years in the
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  Speaker 2: territory of helping the territory in free, which I think
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  Speaker 2: is really exciting. So our motto for Asthma Week is
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  Speaker 2: if your puff of puff, put a spacer on it.
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  Speaker 2: So call pass next week and see this and grab
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  Speaker 2: a space if you need one. Yeah, I need to
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  Speaker 2: send you one, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I ended up finding one, Leanne. I found one
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  Speaker 1: in my draw so I have been using it at
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  Speaker 1: night time and it does help you us I know
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  Speaker 1: well and you I will make sure that I do. Leanne,
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  Speaker 1: I always appreciate your your advice and always appreciate your
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  Speaker 1: having a chat with us.
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  Speaker 2: Not a problem.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, have a great day.