About Us.
Canterbury Asthma Society Incorporated, trading as CanBreathe, is a not-for-profit, charitable organisation.
CanBreathe has been supporting individuals, parents, families, carers and the community to better understand how to manage respiratory conditions and reduce the risk of serious health impacts since 1972. Our free services improve the quality of life for people with conditions including asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Support (COPD) and Bronchiectasis.
We work directly with the community to provide education and support to individuals, families, groups and those operating in the medical sector to improve health outcomes and wellbeing. We enable people to have better understanding and knowledge, which helps to prevent acute respiratory events, encourages them to maintain optimum lung health and assists them to have a better quality of life. We support people to manage their illnesses with confidence so they can participate in school, work, family and their communities.
Our Nurse Educators provide their consultations, information and advice services free of charge, either in people’s homes or at our clinic. We deliver tailored education sessions to schools, early childhood centres and groups to improve respiratory awareness and help them understand how to manage crisis issues. Our specialised respiratory education is delivered via group and one-on-one sessions to health professionals to ensure they are well trained and knowledgeable in order to best support those with breathing conditions.
We also attend community events help to increase awareness and understanding of self-management and the early recognition of chronic respiratory conditions.
CanBreathe services aim to impact Cantabrians by:
Reducing deaths caused by respiratory conditions
Reducing visits to hospital caused by respiratory conditions
Reducing the frequency and severity of asthma attacks
Reducing the inequality of care provided in our communities
Helping people participate more easily at school, sport and socially