Prepping children to help during a medical emergency

New Delhi, Sep 17 It seems like one cannot get through a day without receiving messages, or watching the news reports of an untoward situation evolving a medical emergency. For parents, their childs health and safety is the number one priority and they are often worried about emergencies their child could face.

 

A little training and understanding of emergency situations will help minimise the impact of an emergency on the entire family, whether at home or outdoors. Training and equipping children with appropriate first aid knowledge certainly comes in handy, so they are prepared irrespective of the presence of an adult.

The first step is to prepare a family communication plan for any sort of emergency that parents and kids can tackle together and separately. Second is to prep your kids, and yourself to be prepared for an emergency in a way that it is easy to tackle the crisis when it occurs. Dr Gurudutt Bhat, Consultant Paediatrician, Fortis Hospital, Kalyan lists down what your emergency preparedness plan should look like:

BEING ALERT: It is common to be easily distracted, one could walk right into a hazardous situation. First and foremost, it is important to limit the time we spend on our phones and be cognizant of our surroundings. Teach your kids to be alert of the people and situations around them; if they hear or see any unfamiliar sounds or occurrences to make note and inform a family member

KNOWLEDGE OF FIRST AID KIT: Although some children may not be old enough to know how to use a First-Aid Kit, they can still be taught essential skills for when emergencies do happen. Show them where the First-Aid Kit is kept in your home. Give details of each item and purpose; have your children handle the items and use them in a demonstration, creating made-up scenarios that might warrant the used of the supplies stored in the kit

CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION

( With inputs from IANS )