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Although
my sister Maria certainly knows how to make everyday entertaining,
she is also a nurse, and therefore she believes in safety first.
Here are her great, practical ideas on how to put together a home
emergency kit.
First and
foremost include some easily accessible, sterilized vinyl gloves
in your kit, so that you can put them on before you treat anybody
for anything. Dirty hands are a definite no-no.
As we all
know, accidents can happen and they are usually unexpected, which
is why it is important to be prepared. Let's say you're out in
the garden collecting flowers or vegetables in preparation for
a party. Perhaps you're cutting something up in the kitchen. What
do you do if you cut yourself? You'll need some antibacterial
towelettes and some antibiotic ointment to put on the wound after
you've cleaned it. Include cotton swabs/balls in labelled jars
to help apply the ointment. Tweezers are a good item to include
for those nasty, painful splinters.
Wounds can
be covered in a variety of ways as bandages come in different
sizes, shapes and fabrics. Some bandaids already have adhesive
on them and some are made of gauze, which can be secured with
silk tape. In your kit, you should provide different options of
bandages as well as some scissors to aid in cutting them.
When an injury
occurs, such as someone falling and hurting their arm or spraining
their ankle, it is important to immobilize the limb. A tensor
bandage is perfect for making a sling or a temporary cast.
Nowadays,
with heart disease as rampant as it is you should keep some aspirin
handy. After you've dialed 911, they might advise you to give
the person an aspirin while the ambulance is on its way.
Another common
emergency can involve a child ingesting something they shouldn't
have. The Poison Control Centre might tell you to make the patient
vomit, so keep a bottle of a drug that is used for that purpose.
Label the bottle well, and use only on doctors' orders.
Another thing
to be aware of is that people don't always think clearly in an
emergency situation. Include a note pad in your emergency kit
with important numbers such as for Poison Control, Ambulance,
Local Hospital, Police and Mom/Dad at work. Add a pen in case
the person using the kit has to take notes regarding symptoms,
treatment, etc.
Don't forget
to label every item in your kit (i.e. "For Cuts"). Make
sure you go over the kit with your children so that they are aware
of what to do in an emergency situation.
With all this
said, the lid goes down on the perfect First Aid kit, something
that everyone should have in their home.
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