Kids grow up fast, and as a parent, it’s your responsibility to make sure your child has all of the skills they need to thrive in the world. It’s also essential that they learn a few important life-saving skills in case of any emergencies. You want them to be resilient, quick, and knowledgeable, so it’s important for your teen to learn how to handle any life-threatening situations. Help your teen stay prepared by teaching them how to recognize an emergency and know how to respond quickly so that things don’t go awry. Keep reading about the life-saving skills your teen should learn.
Swimming and Saving Someone From Drowning
In the United States, nearly 4,000 people drown every single year. It’s one of the most common reasons for accidental death. Your teen should learn the proper techniques for swimming and how to stay afloat and move around freely in water. It’s also important that your teen knows how to save someone from drowning. There are a variety of methods to save someone who is having difficulty in the water. The first is to extend reach to them if possible. If not, they can throw a life-saving flotation device such as a safety ring. When the situation permits it, use a boat to save the victim. The last option is to get in the water and find a way to tow the victim to safety.
CPR
Cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. So, you might want to have your teen learn CPR online in case of emergencies. CPR is cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is a combination of chest compressions and breaths in order to increase a victim’s chances of survival and help blood flow to the heart. The American CPR Care Association offers an online course for CPR, where teens can earn their certificate and learn how to assess an emergency situation. They will learn how to perform CPR on an adult, child, or even an infant. When someone’s heart stops, it’s important to perform CPR to keep the heart pumping manually. It involves doing two chest compressions at least two inches down at the rate of 120 compressions per minute.
The Heimlich Maneuver
While teens are well versed in scholarships for high school students and test scores, it’s also important for them to have some sort of medical training before they step into the real world. One of the life-saving skills they should learn is the Heimlich maneuver, which is a treatment maneuver for choking. It involves standing behind someone to perform five abdominal thrusts until the blockage is clear. You ball one hand into a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against their abdomen to dislodge the blockage. Your teen should learn how to do the Heimlich maneuver on adults, children, pets, and especially on themselves.
Identifying Stroke and Heart Attack Symptoms
A stroke occurs when the blood vessels that carry oxygen to your brain are blocked. A heart attack occurs when there’s a blockage in blood flow to your heart. It’s important for your teen to learn to identify these symptoms because they increase the chances of heart damage or even death. Stroke can occur at any age, while heart attacks are often deemed a “silent killer.”
Learning how to identify risky situations and knowing how to act quickly are great ways to help your child prepare for any emergency situation. When your teen can recognize symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, knows how to perform CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, and can swim or help someone, they may just help save a life.
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