First Aid: Adults
the basics
Five Tips You Should Know
- don't use pediatric AED pads or equipment on someone older than 8 or weighing more than 55 pounds
- when using AEDs, make sure that none, including yourself, is touching the patient
- after dressing and bandaging an injury, make sure to check for circulation beyond the injury; you should check for feeling, warmth, and color
- if you are providing care for someone with a head injury and their head is sharply turned to one side, it is important to not move it from that position
- for advice when treating a conscious and alert person for poisoning, you should call the National Poison Control Center hotline at 1-800-222-1222
Stroke? Think FAST
use this acronym to determine whether or not someone has experienced a stroke:
- Face; ask the person to smile, check to see if one side of their face droops
- Arm; ask them to raise both arms, check if one arm drifts downwards'
- Speech; ask them to repeat a simple sentences, listen to see if their speech is slurred or if they are unable to repeat the sentence
- Time; call 9-1-1 immediately if you recognize any signs of a stroke