Psychology Case Study of Alfred Podges

Karina Gonzalez—PSYC363-02—Chapter 11 Case Study 1—March 03, 2010
Three things I would make sure Aunt Ceci knows before she babysits the twins are when and how the child should use asthma medications, what to do when asthma gets worse, and when to seek emergency care for the child. According to Medicinenet.com this is known as the asthma action plan (Medicinenet.com; 2010). Knowing what medications and when to take them would be crucial for Aunt Ceci to know to better control the asthma and know what may trigger an attack. If the child likes to run around outside and wear themselves out it’s important for her to know when to stop the child for a break. Knowing when to take the medication and how much is extremely important for the child. Aunt Ceci should also be able to detect the sign of an asthma attack and then what to do accordingly. Some early warning signs an attack is coming on are “short of breath, pale and sweaty face, chest pain or pressure, feelings of anxiety or panic “ (WebMD; 2010). With the symptoms Aunt Ceci should know to give the child her “reliever (bronchodilator) medicine according to the asthma action plan” (medicinenet.com; 2010). After about 15 minutes if the medicine is working the child should be able to continue on with her activities however is the attack has not stopped Aunt Ceci should know the number of the child’s physician for further instruction on what to do for the child. However if she cannot get a hold of the physician she should know the warning signs that warrant an emergency call needs to be made. Some of the warning signs to notify help are: “severe wheezing, severe coughing, trouble walking and/or talking, or blue lips and/or fingernails” (medicinet.com; 2010). Aunt Ceci should most importantly know that she needs to be able t o stay calm for the child id an attack or a severe attack occurs. Panic and chaos will only hurt the child more making her panic and her lack of air flow tighter.