@Jane 8 March 2021 more from that month

Basic First Aid Is Not Just Basic, It Is Life-Saver

March 8, 2021 As I was scanning my Facebook account yesterday, I saw some videos that went viral about applying First Aid to random civilians. And as a health practitioner, I really advise everyone to know how to administer First Aid even just the basics. Because unfortunate circumstances, accidents, incidents, emergencies, etc, are part of our daily living and are really meant to happen even what preventions and safety measures we apply to avoid them. Napoleon once said that there is no such thing as accidents but only a failure to accept the hand of fate. However, society doesn't have much time for that theory nowadays, because accidents are everywhere, and anyone can be involved in any accidents. Once we step out of our houses, accidents might come in our way. Consider the traffic accidents while we are on our way to our destination due to reckless drivers, alcohol or drug consumption, speeding, fatigue, or out of focus. Even while riding on our own shoes we might encounter accidents as well, especially if our eyes are down, busy playing our phones.

©image source https://www.dekra-solutions.com/2016/06/4358/?lang=en Our own home isn't safe all the time as well, because the moment we get out of our bed, we are at risk for an accident too. The fire might bursts out all of a sudden while we are cooking our meal and it can cause burns. A minor to major cuts while slicing meats, vegetables, or cutting anything using sharp objects. The slips and falls due to carelessness, unorganized stuff, or messy floors, and you are likely to get bad bruises to broken bones that might last for weeks, months, or might even cause further complications. Food poisoning might happen due to wrong preparations. And most of the time, kids and the elderly are the ones that are prone to these kinds of accidents. Those are just the possible and common scenarios associated with accidents. And personal injury cases come in all shapes and sizes. Accidents do happen, and our lives are just so short. We don't know what will happen next and tomorrow. However, we do have the ability to survive an accident, and we can help the affected patients, **ONLY** if we know how to rescue them, and we know how to apply **BASIC FIRST AIDS.** Life-threatening incidents like asthma, choking, stroke, heart attack, shock, and more. First aid knowledge is the most responsible option. First Aid Knowledge Is Life Saver

®image source https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/628041110525158763/ ***Knowing first aid will give us the confidence to step in to help when an emergency occurs.*** This can be applied to ourselves, to our family, and even to civilians and random people on the street. And the action that we could take by responding right away, could save a life or prevent further injuries or permanent disabilities. ***And if we know how to perform basic first aid using our household tools when a first aid kit is not available, we will be able to handle many situations and we can stabilize the patient's condition until the rescuer arrives***. That will also give us relief and not panic in assessing the situation especially if the patient is our family member. ****First Aid Knowledge Will Give The Confidence To Care And Encourage Healthy And Safe Living******.** ***Once we have that knowledge in first aid, we become confident with our skills and our abilities to administer help***. It will also help us reflect on our own selves on how we and patients react in certain situations. It can also boost our confidence in a wide range of non-medical everyday situations. Having that knowledge in administering help to others will promote a sense of safety because we know what to execute in case of emergencies and accidents. We will be able to know how to avoid certain accidents as well by applying the knowledge learned to keep us free from accidents. ****First Aid Training Should Be A MUST To Reduce Casualties**** In some parts of the world, First Aid training for the public servants is already implemented. It is much safer if not only the rescuer and health workers know how to administer First Aid, but also the public officials living in a community. By this, casualties will be reduced and communities will be safer to live in. In our country, even Baranggay (Village) officials are already required to undergo First Aid training, because many places are remote and difficult to reach by the rescuers. Having officials who know how to apply First Aid will at least lessen further injuries or casualties. This is the video I have watched yesterday which happened two years ago where a civilian tried to save a drowned kid before the rescuer arrived. **(watch the video here)** Even if it's not the civilian who was able to revive the kid's life, but having that initiative to perform CPR was a big help as well. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1906703032966508

Another video went viral about a Chinese girl who saved an elderly's life and this was even featured on CGTN. I actually watched this video two years ago and I just saw this again on Facebook yesterday. https://youtu.be/CjBxk-3_XlA As I searched about it, I found out that the girl is a medical student waiting for a train home, but when she saw the 81-year old man collapsed on the floor, she suddenly rushed and performed CPR which helped regained the consciousness of the elderly. During her interview with CGTN, she said that *she just did what any medical student should do*. To support this article, I searched for more videos about performing first aid on strangers. I saw this video on Youtube where an aunt saved her nephew who stopped from breathing on a Miami roadside. https://youtu.be/Jc3hCGMddg0 Without any hesitation, the aunt of the baby performed resuscitation before the rescuer arrived. The baby got conscious and the rescuer checked on him before sending him to a hospital. The baby was said to be born prematurely with respiratory problems, and as the savior said during the interview, she just did what others would do once they saw a situation like that. ****First Aid Training Should Be Taught In All Schools****

©image source http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-08/24/c_139314372.htm Some countries are already conducting First Aid trainings in primary schools. As young as 7 years old already have knowledge about First Aid. But in my country and other countries, not all schools are conducting First Aid training to students. With these incidents, it would really great if all schools, NOT only medical schools, should implement First Aid Training for all students. As young as primary students should learn basic first aid, especially CPR. Learning how to perform CPR in times of emergency will really save a life. Accidents not only happen outside but also inside our homes. So we will feel safer if we know some knowledge on performing first aid in times of unfortunate circumstances. Considering its importance to the community, as well as to family, to friends, and even to strangers, First Aid training should really be required. We all have the ability to help others and First Aid is indeed a life-saver. In my next article, I will tackle basic first aids methods I have learned from my Caregiving training to give you some knowledge about it. If you want to help others, and if you really want to save your own family, you really need to learn how to administer First Aid. `Lead image from https://theyguide.blogspot.com/2017/11/first-aid-training-poster.html?m=1`