I was browsing Reddit.com one day and found this thread entitled What can a person learn/know right now in 10 minutes that will be useful for the rest of their life?  I read through it and found a number of helpful ideas that any teacher could include in a homeroom/advisory lesson, or at a team meeting.

Here are a few I cut and pasted out of the thread that jumped out at me:

What to do if someone is having a seizure.

1. Try and move nearby furniture if possible so the patient doesn’t hurt themselves.
2. Let them get on with it.
3. Once the seizure is over, move them somewhere safe and comfortable (a bed if at all possible) and keep them warm.

Anyone with epilepsy will have done this many times before and an ambulance is not necessary, save it for someone who needs it. If it is someone’s first seizure or you are not sure, dial 999/112/911/whatever.

If a seizure lasts more than two minutes, call the emergency services. If a person has more than one seizure without regaining consciousness, call the emergency services.

NEVER put anything in their mouth (you run the danger of choking them) and NEVER try to restrain them (you WILL get hurt).

I have epilepsy and it scares the life out of me that if I have a seizure on the street people won’t know what to do. Another LPT – if you are epileptic or diabetic etc., inform friends/co-workers/etc. and tell them what to do in an emergency.

How to CORRECTLY stab someone with an Epi-pen.

My girlfriend has a peanut allergy and I really would love to live in a world where more people know the correct way to use that instrument.

• Step one: take off the cap (it’s blue) [this is the side that points away from their body]
• Step 1 1/2: make sure you won’t hit their phone.
• Step two: stab it into their leg (upper outer thigh)(through any non super super thick pants is fine. Jeans = fine)[thumb holding the sides] {you stab them with the orange side}
• Step three: hold it there for 3 seconds (it used to say 10 seconds EMT guy in comments says FDA recently changed this to 3 seconds)
• Step four: call 911 (epi pens buy time not fix the problem entirely)

DO NOT BE GENTLE! Bruises heal. Being gentle often causes a muscle twitch. Their reflex will be to jerk away, and if the needle comes out without giving them the dose, you can’t just re-stab them. Hold their leg from the inside. Otherwise it could cause a large cut that almost always results in a scar associated with unpleasant memories.

Also rub the injection site for a few seconds after you remove it from their skin. It will help get it into their bloodstream faster.

How to recognize a stroke.

This could save a life one day! Just remember F.A.S.T.:

• Face: ask them to smile, is one side of their face drooping?
• Arms: ask them to lift both arms, is one arm drifting downwards?
• Speech: ask them to repeat a simple phrase, is their speech slurred?
• Time: if you see any of these signs, then get help immediately.

A stroke happens when blood is cut off from part of the brain, and symptoms can appear even 24 hours in advance. It is fatal if unattended, so be aware!

What should you do while waiting for an ambulance to get there? My best advice is helping them get to the ground (sitting up because you don’t want if they lose consciousness to aspirate if they’re having dysphagia),

TIME THE ONSET, if it is an “ischemic stroke”, if they get to the hospital within 4 hrs there is a specific medicine they can give to dissolve clot

Keep them calm and note any worsening and how rapidly the symptoms change and worsen. Also note time of loss of consciousness of there is any. It’s important to know.

It can be scary but you’ll be helping tremendously and help treatment move quicker.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + Shift + T reopens a closed tab or window. Total life saver.

General life advice

Doing these 2 things will IMMEDIATELY improve the quality of your life:

• Don’t take things personally
• Assume the best in people.

 

Hope these help!

Hi 5!