Safety First Aid & Prevention

1. Safety First Aid & Prevention Senior Health

2. If Not You…Who? What would you do in this particular situation?

3. Consider This • 40 million injury-related visits were made to the emergency department hospitals each year. • Injuries resulted in more than 160,000 deaths in the U.S. • Unintentional injuries cause most childhood deaths.

4. Steps in an Emergency • 1. Recognize that an emergency exists • 2. Decide to act • 3. Activate the EMS system • 4. Give Care Until Help Arrives

5. Step 1 - Recognizing Emergencies • Use your senses • Hearing, sight, and smell

6. Unusual Sights • Stopped vehicle on the roadside • Broken glass • Spilled medicine container • Downed electrical wires • Sparks, smoke, or fire

7. Unusual Appearances or Behavior • Unconsciousness • Confused or unusual behavior • Trouble breathing • Clutching chest or throat • Slurred, confused, or hesitant speech • Unexplainable confusion or drowsiness • Sweating for no apparent reason • Inability to move a body part • Uncharacteristic skin color

8. Unusual Odors • Odors that are stronger than usual • Unrecognizable odors • Inappropriate Odors

9. Unusual Noises • Screaming, yelling, moaning, or calling for help • Breaking glass, crashing metal or screeching tires • Sudden, loud or unidentifiable sounds • Unusual silence

10. Step 2. Deciding to Act • Emergency situations can cause mixed feelings • These feelings may make one hesitate in helping • Recognizing an emergency yet failing to act. • Because other people are there • Not knowing the injured or ill persons condition • Fear of catching a disease • Fear of doing something wrong • Fear of being sued • Being unsure of when to call 9-1-1

11. Good Samaritan Laws • Are there laws to protect you when you provide help in an emergency situation? • Yes • They protect citizens who act the same way that a “reasonable and prudent person” would in the same situation.

12. A reasonable and prudent person would… • Move a person only if the person’s life were in danger • Ask a conscious person for permission before giving care. • Check the person for life-threatening conditions before giving further care. • Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number. • Continue to give care until more highly trained personnel arrive.

13. Good Samaritan Lawsuits • Non-professionals are rarely sued for helping in emergencies. • If sued, Good Samaritan laws protect the responder from financial responsibility. • However if the caregiver left the injured person after beginning care then good Samaritan laws do not apply.

14. Step 3. Activate the EMS System • Calling 9-1-1 • Know your surroundings • Using a cell phone with an emergency number

15. Step 4 – Give Care Until Help Arrives • If you are trained in first aid, you can give help that can save a life in the first few minutes of an emergency. • The brain stops functioning after 3 minutes of unconsciousness. (death)

16. Remember to Get Permission • Get permission from the person to help them • This is known as getting “consent” • If the victim is a child, consent should be obtained from the parent or guardian. • Do not give care to a conscious person who refuses it. • However, Do Call 9-1-1 • Permission is implied for an unconscious person.

17. Review • What are the four steps in an emergency situation?

18. How Disease Spreads Infectious diseases- those that can spread from one person to another- develop when germs invade the body and cause illness. Most common- bacteria/ viruses

19. Bacteria Bacteria can live outside the body and do not depend on other organisms for life. The number of bacteria that infect humans is very small, but some can cause serious infections. These can be treated with antibiotics. Ex: Streptococcus Agalactia - Strp throat

20. Viruses Viruses depend on other organisms to live. Once in the body they are hard to remove. There are very few medications that fight viruses. The body’s immune system is the number one protection against infection.

21. How do they spread? Touching- Through blood or body fluids. Breathing- Air, utensils, door knobs Biting- Animals/ Humans

22. Preventing Disease Transmission Avoid Direct Contact With blood Use protective breathing barriers when doing CPR Use bandages to cover cuts or open wounds Do not eat, drink or touch your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands. Avoid handling personal items while performing first aid. Have a fully stocked first aid kit. Tell EMS that you have been in contact with blood.

23. Wash Your Hands! Use warm / hot water Wet hand before applying soap. Rub hand together for at least 15 seconds. Scrub under your finger nails Dry hand thoroughly with a paper towel. Use the paper towel to turn off the faucet

24. How would you clean a blood spill? Clean the spill as fast as possible. Use disposable gloves and any other protective equipment. Wipe the spill with paper towels. After the fluid is wiped, pour a solution of 10% chlorine bleach, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Dispose of fluids and materials in a biohazard container.

25. Removing Gloves Step 1 Pinch the glove at the wrist, only touch the outside of the glove. Pull the glove toward the fingertips without completely removing it. The glove should be inside out.

26. Step 2 Remove the second glove. With your partially gloved hand, pinche the outside surface of the second glove. Pull the second glove toward the fingertips until it is inside out, and remove it completely.

27. Step 3 Finish removing both gloves. Grasp both gloves with your free hand. Touch only the clean interior surface of the glove.

28. Step 4 After removing the gloves…. Discard in an appropriate container. Wash your hands thoroughly!