SENIOR HEALTH Before Giving Care

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

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.

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 and takes over

Step 1 - Recognizing Emergencies Use your senses  Hearing, sight, and smell

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

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

Unusual Odors Odors that are stronger than usual Unrecognizable odors Inappropriate Odors

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

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.  Fear of doing something wrong  Not knowing the persons condition or what to do  Assuming someone else will take action  Type of injury or illness  Fear of catching a disease  Fear of being sued  Being unsure of when to call 9-1-1

Step 3. Activate the EMS System Calling Know your surroundings  Using a cell phone with an emergency number

Step 4 – Give Care Until Help Arrives In General, you should give care until:  You see an obvious sign of life, such as breathing.  Another trained responder or EMS personnel take over  You are too exhausted to continue  The scene becomes unsafe The brain stops functioning after 3 minutes of unconsciousness. (death)

Good Samaritan Laws Laws put in place to protect people against claims of negligence when they give care in good faith without accepting anything in return. They protect citizens who act the same way that a “reasonable and prudent person” would in the same situation.

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 or the local emergency number. Continue to give care until more highly trained personnel arrive.

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.

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 “implied” consent is for an unconscious person.  It is assumed that if the person could respond they would want you to save them.

Review What are the four steps in an emergency situation?

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

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

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.

How do they spread? Touching- Through blood or body fluids. Breathing- Air, utensils, door knobs  Known as indirect contact Biting- Animals/ Humans

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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