Although
we can't predict when emergencies will happen, there are ways that we
can prepare for them.
Here are four emergency techniques and tools that are
important to know about:
1. CPR
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Every year, as many as 45,000 Canadians suffer cardiac arrest, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and without intervention many of those people die before they reach hospital. Over the course of their lives, many people learn CPR-the emergency first aid technique which includes performing chest compressions and artificial respirations on someone who is not breathing and unconsciousness and/or whose heart has stopped beating.
New CPR guidelines are easier to remember.
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But the problem has always been that CPR skills needed to be refreshed frequently to ensure rescuers remember all the steps necessary to perform the technique correctly. In 2005, however, international CPR guidelines were revised, to make the technique more effective and easier to remember.
Some of the highlights of the new guidelines include a new combination of chest
compressions and breaths (30 compressions to two breaths) for adults
and children (except newborns) and the elimination of checking for signs
of circulation (checking for a pulse). The technique can be learned easily
through courses offered by training organizations across the country, including
St.
John Ambulance, and the Canadian
Red Cross Introductory and recertification courses run approximately four
hours. Courses that include infant CPR or advanced cardiac life support information
for healthcare providers range from five to 16 hours.
2. Epinephrine auto-injectors (Epipens® in Canada)
Breathing problems are a big concern for those people who have serious, and sometimes fatal allergies to such things as nuts, shellfish, certain drugs, insect bites, and food additives or to exercise. So-called anaphylactic reactions to these potentially life-threatening allergies involve the production of histamines and other substances in the body that cause gastrointestinal problems, hives and swelling around the face and mouth, and constriction of the airways. Anyone who is experiencing an anaphylactic reaction needs immediate medical attention. Most people who suffer from such severe allergies carry an EpiPen.
The epinephrine auto-injector or EpiPen is an emergency-use-only quick-delivery system for one dose of the drug epinephrine, which, almost immediately, helps to reverse swelling and relax the muscles in the lungs, among other things. Using it on yourself or someone else is quite easy. The EpiPen is designed to be jabbed into the fleshy part of the outer thigh, ideally on bare skin but it will work through clothes if the situation is particularly dire. The jab pushes a needle into the thigh and sends out a dose of epinephrine. The effect, however, only lasts between 10 and 20 minutes, so follow-up medical attention is critical.
3. MedicAlert®
Anyone who has a life-threatening allergy, takes regular medication or has any one of a number of other conditions should consider signing up with the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation. A MedicAlert® bracelet can include a range of information about the health of the person wearing it, which can cover whether he/she has Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, or developmental challenges. It can also identify someone during an emergency as having a living will or wearing contact lenses.
MedicAlert® provides more than just the identifying bracelets for which they are best-known. In fact, aside from the bracelets, MedicAlert keeps a card with all medical information and contacts in a central location that can be accessed 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world in the case of an emergency.
4. Safely Home Registry
Among the effects of Alzheimer's disease, a progressive, degenerative disease that can affect each area of the brain, are memory loss, difficulty communicating and the inability to recognize familiar people, places and things. People with the disease may also wander, which, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, occurs often. For that reason, the society has developed a nationwide program called Safely Home—Alzheimer Wandering Registry. Registration is voluntary and can be done by a person with Alzheimer's or on behalf of someone with the disease.
Under the program, which was developed with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
information about the person with Alzheimer's is stored on a police database.
If the person wanders off, the caregiver reports it to police, who check the
database for the person's history, physical characteristics and information
about previous wanderings. If a person is found wandering and is wearing the
bracelet that identifies the person as part of the registry, police can immediately
determine where he or she lives and who to contact.
Disclaimer: The Canadian Health Network is not affiliated with and does not endorse or recommend any product listed in this article.
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This article was prepared by Nora Underwood for 
