Medication and caregivers

If your child or loved one requires breathing treatments and requires the help of a caregiver, it's important that any caregivers, school nurses, home health aids, or teachers who might administer treatment understand how to properly use a nebulizer. Also, there are steps you can take to make the process a little less nerve-racking.

Try to arrange to demonstrate a complete nebulizer treatment for anyone who might administer treatment.
Type up specific instructions for after-treatment nebulizer cleaning and leave several copies with caregivers. If you're worried that the nebulizer might not be cleaned properly, purchase disposable nebulizers. Also, include instructions for proper medication measurement.
If your nebulizer system didn't come with one, purchase a carrying case to make storage easy and to ensure that all parts remain in one place.
Caregivers who are new to nebulizers might not be able to recognize when parts or accessories need to be replaced. Keep a chart to help you remember when it's time to reorder and replace.