Category

ARE you ready to help?

Sep 12
0

Hand Washing Stops Illness

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Safety Tips, Stay Healthy Tips, Youth Babysitter Tips | No Comments

Hand Washing Stops Illness

It’s so simple.   Yet so effective!    Hand Washing is so very, very important.   Hand washing stops illness because adults and children are erasing the germs accumulated at work, at school, at the store, at day care – wherever!

Hand Washing Stops Illness – but do it correctly

Most of us wash our hands far too quickly.   A too-quick washing gets rather close to having no value, regardless the soap we used.

Here’s what you need:

– soap, you bet

– lots of friction

– 20 seconds long

Hand Washing Stops Illness

Hand Washing Stops Illness

Hand washing – Best Thing for Babysitters to do with the children

When I teach my youth Babysitting CPR classes, we pretend to wash our hands while I count to 20 for them.   It *really* illuminates to them how long 20 seconds really is.   We all chuckle because 20 seconds starts to feel long – that’s why adding a little song is so popular to do so the 20 seconds has fun associated with it.    Hands down, the length of time, along with the soap, is what makes hand washing the GERM KILLER we all need.

Everyone in the family – and even your community – benefits from stopping germs and disease from being spread due to the ceaseless number of surfaces we all touch.   We touch tables, desks, doorknobs, light switches, keyboards, chairs, etc., etc.

Hand washing stops illness

BOTH Babysitters and children wash hands often!

Please watch this short video clip from the Center for Disease Control where its Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, explains how important hand washing is to you  and your family.    School has begun and we all know that constant interaction between hundreds and hundreds of students can explode the incidence of colds, flu, sore throats, and more.

Another excellent piece of information from the CDC is their category of “Show Me The Science“.    One of the areas of this category is called “Why Wash Your Hands?”

Antibacterial soap?    Nah….

The famous Mayo Clinic reminds us that regular soap is better to use than antibacterial soap, stating, “Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap might even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product’s antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future.”

Mayo Clinic offers a nice list called Hand Washing:  Do’s and don’ts.

Many times per day!

Just home from work or school?   Wash your hands FIRST.

Handled food, pets, dirty shoes?    Wash your hands.     It’s a win – win!

dont-spread-germs

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EasyCPR-Denver.com     visit my site for the list of upcoming classes

Connect with me on my Facebook page to keep receiving these tips!

Jean Lesmeister, 16 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please SHARE this information with your network – THANK YOU!

Aug 25
0
Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack. Not the same.

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Choking help, CPR Party, EasyCPR Adult class at Home | No Comments

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack.     Not the same.

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack?   Sometimes the two terms are used as one.   Yes, they can seem the same, but what they are, medically, is quite different.

It is wonderful that more and more people are getting trained how to give care in an emergency situation.    You ARE most likely to give care to someone you love who is choking or unconscious.

Unconsciousness can occur with people suffering a car accident, had a breathing emergency that escalated, had a diabetes incident – or is having a heart attack.    Except, wait…   OR is it a cardiac arrest?

They’re not the same.

A heart attack is a circulation problem.     Blood is not flowing well due to clogging of the arteries.  But the heart can continue to pump, though it’s in trouble.

A cardiac arrest is an electrical problem.   The heart is not pumping correctly.   It stops pumping.    The deadly rhythm is, most often, “fibrillation”.     Thus, what is needed is de-fibrillation – the equipment that delivers a large electrical charge to the heart.

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack.

Visit this site that explains the difference:

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack

I have been teaching CPR, First Aid and youth Babysitting CPR for 16 years and am passionate about people getting trained.   Students tell me, year after year, about wonderful incidents where their relative or friend was saved, how they personally assisted someone, the quick help from EMS (Emergency Medical Services /911) and more.

I include full CPR in the Babysitting class I teach to youth, age 11+.     Compressions save lives.   It is a beautiful thing when my young students come to me at the end of class and share, with their luminous smiles, “I feel confident, now” and “thank you SO much for this class”!    It warms my heart and keeps me going.

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack. Not the same.

People wonder when to call 911 and I like to think of what a paramedic friend of mine always says, “If in Doubt, Call Them Out“.    Dispatch is RIGHT THERE for you and helps get clarified what is happening and the urgency of your call.    Dispatch rocks.

Dispatchers are typing a constant flow of information to the 911 responders, who are underway in traffic, right away.    Dispatchers help you calm down and proceed with care until EMS arrives.

That “Window of Time” until EMS arrives is where YOUR TRAINING kicks in.

You are most likely to give care to someone you love.    Be ready.   Get trained how to do compressions.  Get trained what to do if someone is choking.

You’ll be glad you did.

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EasyCPR-Denver.com     visit my site for the list of upcoming classes

Connect with me on my Facebook page to keep receiving these tips!

Jean Lesmeister, 16 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please  SHARE  this information with your network – THANK YOU!

May 20
0

Online CPR is not CPR

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Parenting Advice, Safety Tips | No Comments

Online CPR is not CPR

As a Training Center for the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI), I recently received a voice mail from a woman requesting information about getting CPR certified – on a speedy basis.  I returned her call the next morning.    She told me that she had just taken an “online CPR course” and was “now certified” so she could begin her new job as a Nanny in a few days.   However, online CPR is NOT CPR!

I told her an online class is *not* a real class; without physically utilizing mannequins with a trained Instructor present to monitor correct compressions and breaths, it is *not* a certified class.

She argued that she now had a “real” 3-year certification.   3-year certifications don’t exist in authentic CPR agencies.

I was appalled.   These employers believe this woman can save their children in case of emergency.   Nothing is further from the truth.   She is not trained.

Faking Certification

Recently, our CO legislature passed a bill making it illegal to claim that your dog is a “Service Dog”, if it is not.   Service Dogs are highly trained dogs to give their owner mobilization support, retrieve items, emotional support, and more – much more.

Service Dogs wear a jacket (with licensure card in pocket) that allows them to enter buildings, airlines, restaurants, etc.

To pretend that your dog is a service dog is abusive.   It can engender doubt in the mind of the public – “is this REALLY a Service Dog?”   Of course, the public is also in danger if untrained dogs are entering venues but are not trained for public contact.

Online CPR is not CPR – They are Lying

The Health and Safety Institute (HSI) states on their website that these untruthful online-only companies claim their classes are ‘nationally accepted’.   They are NOT.

HSI states further, “No major authentic training program in the United States endorses certification without practice and evaluation of hands-on skills.   According to OSHA, “online training alone does not meet their requirements”.

FAKE certificate 2

FAKE CLASS

FAKE certificate

             FAKE CLASS

Let’s Clarify Online-Only vs. “Blended”

There IS a difference.   All major legitimate agencies now offer an option of “Blended Training”.   This means that some class information is done online in advance of the physical skills done face-to-face with an Instructor.   The student arrives to class with a print-out of completion and the physical skills are then taught.   A Blended class is a great idea.   A usual CPR class runs 2+ hours – the Blended class, since part is completed in advance, requires a shortened physical skills session with an Instructor.

What’s the Problem?

There is no nationally accrediting or governing body for emergency care training.

What are some agencies offering authentic training?

  • American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI)   [part of HSI]
  • Medic First Aid  [part of HSI]
  • American Heart Association
  • American Red Cross
  • National Safety Council
online CPR is not CPR

   This is NOT training.             Online CPR is not CPR.

 

oneline CPR is not CPR

      THIS is CPR Training

The OSHA website has an article called “Unmasking the Certification Mill Problem” discussing the disservice of lying to people that they can get certified online.    The article states:  Thomas Glassy, director of the OSHA Directorate of Enforcement Programs, wrote: “Online training alone would not meet the requirements of these training standards. The word ‘train’ is defined as ‘[t]o make proficient with special instruction and practice,’ Webster’s II New Collegiate Dictionary, 1995, p.1, 169. These standards require training in physical skills, such as bandaging and CPR. The only way these physical skills can be learned is by actually practicing them.”

The article also asserts, “The certification mill problem threatens to undermine first aid and CPR education and certification as a whole. Though it is naïve to expect an immediate resolution, the problem requires direct action by employers, training organizations, states, and the federal government.”

Getting Real

online CPR is not CPR

            ABSOLUTELY NO WAY!

Can you learn to ride a horse watching a video?

Can you learn to change a diaper watching a video?

Can you learn to drive a motorcycle watching a video?

Online CPR is NOT CPR

Physical skills require physical involvement.  

We must stop accepting bogus online-only classes with their print-your-own certification cards that you get for paying $19 for the class.   It’s wrong.    It’s fraud.   Parents, don’t be tricked!

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EasyCPR-Denver.com     visit my site for the list of upcoming classes

Connect with me on my Facebook page to keep receiving these tips!

Jean Lesmeister, 16 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please SHARE this information with your network – THANK YOU!

 

May 16
22

5 Steps to First Aid?

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Safety Tips | No Comments

5 Steps to First Aid?

Someone needs help?   When you offer First Aid to anyone, you become the “first responder”!   If someone is injured or in medical distress, we can feel adrenalin – but hopefully not panic.

You automatically want to respond.   You want to help.   You just have to be sure that you respond effectively, respond appropriately (don’t exceed your training), and don’t forget important elements.

When does someone need First Aid?

There are many reasons why a person might be experiencing a health problem.    Of course there are injuries:   a fall, a collision, a bleeding wound, a burn, and more.    Next, there are systems in the body that might be in trouble – heart, brain, lungs, stomach, intestines, etc.   Next, there are ongoing health issues for that person – diabetes, asthma, heart condition, high blood pressure, seizure activity, pregnancy, to name a few.   And there is always the presence of a scary problem – someone choking.

trouble breathing

Someone needing first aid can occur suddenly

Where does someone need First Aid?

When you think about your day, imagine how many environments you are in per day – and first aid could be needed at any of them!

  • the lobby of a business building
  • someone entering as you exit the grocery store
  • the lunch counter / coffee shop
  • parking structure / pedestrian walkways
  • bookstore / department store / office supply store
  • picking up your child from school
  • and the BIG ONE – your HOME – where everyone is spending lots of hours doing all kinds of activities
first aid when you need it

Medical urgencies can require first aid

Who will need First Aid?

You are most likely to give care to someone you love.   But you are also at work, at venues of organizations you belong to, out in public recreation and garden sites, walking in your neighborhood – so you might assist unknown members of your community!

4 out of 5 cardiac arrest occur in the home, actually.

bleeding arm

Get trained to know how to handle an injury

Here are the 5 Steps to First Aid:

  1. Recognize the emergency.   Does someone look like they’re in trouble?   If so, ask them, “Are you OK?”
  2. Call 911 if you think you should.   Remember, you don’t need their agreement to call EMS (Emergency Medical Services) – 911.   (You only need their agreement to touch them
  3. Ask them questions in case the situation escalates to unconsciousness.    “Are you allergic to anything?   Are you on a medication?”
  4. Be kind and calm.   Your compassionate and gentle smile, your reassurance that they’re “going to be OK” is a type of care!    Kindness and reassurance is “care”.   You might reduce their blood pressure or ease their frightened breathing.   You can do a lot to soothe thei fear.
  5. Be a Steward of the person.   Some folks have old, incorrect ideas about how to handle a problem – such as, “give him some brandy” or “lift her up and put her on the couch”.    Nope.   Do.   Not.  Do No Further Harm is the key.   Step in and say, “No.  Don’t do that.   It can hurt them.”

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EasyCPR-Denver.com     visit my site for the list of upcoming classes

Connect with me on my Facebook page to keep receiving these tips!

Jean Lesmeister, 16 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please SHARE this information with your network – THANK YOU!

May 06
0

Have a Summer CPR Party

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Choking help, EasyCPR Adult class at Home, Safety Tips, What my student said... | No Comments

Have a Summer CPR Party

What IS a Summer CPR Party?

Well, are there people that you love?   Yes?   Oh, then you should HAVE a CPR Party!

As you know, the 2-hour certified CPR class teaches people two main things

1) what to do if someone is choking and

2) how to correctly do chest compressions for someone unconscious and not breathing – as you await the arrival of 911.

A CPR Party is YOU gathering together your family and friends for the 2-hour class.  As the 16-yr experienced Instructor, I arrive with my 3 sizes of mannequins and teach a great class for you.   II am EasyCPR-Denver because I make class smooth, focused and with fun humor.  After class, you have a fun social time, a party!   A cook out?   Playing games?    Telling jokes to each other?

cpr party 1

2-hr CPR certified course followed by a PARTY!

Student stories I’ve heard – both good and bad

I’ve been teaching CPR and Babysitting CPR youth classes (age 11+) for 16 years and, WOW, have I heard a lot of stories!    Students like to share things that have happened in their family or to friends and neighbors.    I think it’s great!   Everyone in the class learns from the story that’s been offered.   Sharing stories adds to retention of the skills they’re learning!

The topic is choking?   I am told choking stories.

The topic is difficulty breathing?   I am told breathing stories

The topic is injury due to falling?   I am told falling/impact stories

Story examples:

“my uncle choked one time and…”

“my little sister climbed in the dryer to hide…”

“my mom fell off a ladder and…”

“my grandma could hardly breathe and we…”

“my neighbor’s house had a gas leak and…”

Most stories have happy endings – but some don’t.

My eyes grow huge when I’m told things like:

“my mom dug her fingers down my little brother’s throat when he was choking”  (You don’t do that!)

“my friend told me you punch a hole in the throat if someone can’t breathe” (You don’t do that!)

“my uncle had chest pain so he went for a long jog”  (You don’t do that!)

 

Are you ready?

So, there is an emergency at your home…    Are you ready?

Have a CPR Party to become trained and confident.    Nothing matches that feeling.

Is your babysitter or nanny more trained that YOU are?    Are your teens trained?    Do you know what to do if someone chokes?    While everyone can choke, the people who choke most often are little kids and senior citizens.   What if grandpa chokes?

cpr party 2

You will be GLAD you got trained in CPR!

How does it work?

Why do you do compressions?   How does it work?   WHY does it work?   How does it help save a life?    Do you give the person breaths – or not?

I’ll be happy to tell you!   

I make class enjoyable and full of information and

skills practice that is easy to learn.   

It’s EasyCPR-Denver.com !

How you host a CPR Party:

  • Pick a date for the 2-hour class – I reserve that date for you.
  • I send you a link to send to your invitees so they can register/pay in advance. That way, class starts/ends on time.   (Minimum 6 people, maximum 14)
  • The day of class, everyone arrives and gets trained. Then you have a party!

Everyone feels confident and ready to save their loved ones.

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EasyCPR-Denver.com     visit my site for the list of upcoming classes

Connect with me on my Facebook page to keep receiving these tips!

Jean Lesmeister, 16 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please SHARE this information with your network – THANK YOU!

 

Apr 05
0

Can you pant like a puppy for me? Babysitting class

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Parenting Advice, Quality Time, Safety Tips, Youth Babysitter Tips | No Comments

“Can you pant like a puppy for me?

When I teach my Babysitting Class  to youth ages 11+, I ask them, “Have you ever been home AND your parents were home and you STILL got hurt?”

Of course, they all say “yes” and begin to recount the varying things they experienced when three or five or seven, whatever age.    I share with them MY story of cutting my knee open when I fell in first grade on a metal door mat outside the elementary school.   Needing stitches, my mom brought me to the doctor.   I share with my young babysitting class students that I remember crying because it hurt, because I was scared, because blood is really scary – and THEN the nurse got out a NEEDLE!   I was crying when she kindly asked, “Can you pant like a puppy for me?”

I remember being confused why she wanted me to do such a thing.    But, I promptly complied and sat there, on the gurney, panting softly – trying to be a puppy.

babysitting class

Pant like a Puppy in babysitting class

Babysitting class – great tip

Of course, you get the point…  The gentle distraction got me busy with a task so that my mind focused on the task instead of the mental whirling vortex of pain/fear/blood.

 

babysitting class tips

It hurts! I’m scared!

I have taught adult CPR, First Aid and the Babysitter class for over 15 years.   The babysitting class (EasyCPR-Denver.com) covers many, many excellent topics – but if an injury occurs, regardless that the young babysitters are always focusing on safety while babysitting, it is accompanied by the fear the child will feel if injured.   To kindly reassure and distract the child is a way to calm the tears and calm the fears.   I urge my babysitting class students to distract with the question, “Can you pant like a puppy for me?” or perhaps, “What IS your middle name, Kelly?” or perhaps, “How old IS your dog, anyway, Stevie?”

It is a good reminder to my babysitting class students that just as THEY got hurt even though their loving parents were home at the time, so, too, an injury can still occur while they are babysitting.    I urge students,  through the 4+ hour babysitting class, to follow two very important safety rules:

1) Prevent injuries by scanning each room for possible dangers and

2) Stay in the same room with the children you’re babysitting.

With those two safety mandates, babysitters have safety on their side!

As a Training Center for the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI), I enjoy teaching this excellent class – their curriculum is strong and manageable for youth age 11+.

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EasyCPR-Denver.com     visit my site for the list of upcoming classes

Connect with me on my Facebook page to keep receiving these tips!

Jean Lesmeister, 15 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please  SHARE  this information with your network – THANK YOU!

 

 

Mar 20
0

Arvada clerk reaches baby as mom collapses

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Prevent injury, Safety Tips | No Comments

Alert clerk reaches baby as the mother collapses

It’s always about Recognizing an Emergency.   Recognizing an Emergency is the first step, the bottom line, the moment that sets helping and first aid in motion.   Because this clerk reaches baby in time, is alert, sees that there is an urgency, a possible emergency, she truly is a “first responder“!

A clerk in a Arvada, CO store noticed that a mother holding her baby was beginning to look unwell, to look glazed.    Alert, kind and recognizing an emergency, the clerk reached to hold the baby even as the mother, indeed, collapsed.

This is a beautiful story of a woman offering help, another woman receiving help – as well as a baby!   The clerk took action and kept the baby from possibly being injured when it appeared something was wrong with the mother.    Without being pulled from the mother’s arms, the baby could have fallen to the floor, could have been injured, could have suffered a head injury – any number of things.

 

clerk reaches baby

Clerk reaches baby in time!

Recognize an Emergency – Clerk reaches baby

The Denver Post reported on  this incident – read the article.   Though it is a short article, that does not diminish how important this moment actually was.    This moment was about the BIG THING – to Recognize an Emergency.    Action can then follow…

When alert people recognize an emergency, the system can commence for care.    911 can be called.   First aid can be commenced.    Our excellent EMS (Emergency Medical Services) system kicks into gear – 911 call to Dispatch who relays everything to Responders – they’re on the way.

It is wonderful that there is even VIDEO of this experience!    The clerk is alert, takes action – and immediately calls out for help, calls 911 –  just as it should be.

In the 15 years of teaching CPR, Babysitting CPR (youth 11+), First Aid, the first part of the training is focused on the important element of Recognizing an Emergency.   YOU can be the one who sees the problem and gets help on the way.   While you may call for help for anyone in the community, it is still true that you are most likely to give care – and call for help – for someone you love, someone you spend a lot of your time with – family and friends!

Every story about people helping others, helping if someone is choking, is unwell, loses consciousness, is a beautiful thing.   It inspires trainers like myself to, yes, keep training – and to urge everyone to GET trained!     Stay safe.

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EasyCPR-Denver.com     visit my site for the list of upcoming classes

Connect with me on my Facebook page to keep receiving these tips!

Jean Lesmeister, 15 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please  SHARE  this information with your network – THANK YOU!

 

 

Dec 29
0

Please give yourself CPR – get training, that is…

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Choking help, EasyCPR Adult class at Home, Parenting Advice, Safety Tips, Yay - Saved a Life! | No Comments

Yes, give yourself CPR – get training

I’ve been teaching CPR for 15 years and I have some YES or NO questions for you:

  • When someone is coughing and choking, do you hit them on the back?

Answer:   No, medical directors state that it is counterproductive.    (You’re right – we used to train it, but it’s changed)

 

  • If a 3 year old is choking, do you stand them on a chair so you can perform the abdominal thrust?

Answer: No, they could fall and be injured.   You kneel down behind them for the thrust.

 

  • If someone insists they are OK and insists that you DO NOT call 911, do you comply and not call?

Answer:   You do not need permission to call 911 (only permission to touch someone’s body to give care).   Call !

 

  • If an elderly person is coughing and coughing, is alarmed to be choking, do you give them the abdominal thrust?

Answer:   No.   If they are coughing, the body is trying to expel it.   You only take action when they are utterly silent; no air is getting in or out; the body isn’t doing it.

 

  • If someone is woozy and not feeling well, do you encourage them to walk slowly and breathe deeply?

Answer:   No. Encourage them to lie down – they may lose consciousness and FALL down.   Then there are very likely added injuries.

 

  • If a very pregnant woman is choking, do you do nothing because the abdominal thrust will injure the baby inside her?

Answer:   There is a special choking technique to use for people in wheelchairs and pregnant women because you can’t thrust on their abdomen.

CPR – get training

Take just a moment and imagine three people you love dearly.    Do you see the three faces of those loved ones?

Would you give two hours of time to save their life?   Yes?   That’s what a  CPR/choking skills class takes – two hours.   For such a beautiful reason.

Statistics show that you are most likely to help someone you love who is choking, or who is unconscious and not breathing, or who is experiencing an altered state of consciousness.

Perhaps you know that an altered state of consciousness, confusion, low responsiveness to your questions could mean an allergic reaction, or possibly a diabetic emergency, or maybe a stroke.   Can you tell?

You don’t need to know what is the problem – you only need to do one thing, now.   You have Recognized An Emergency – so you call 911.     So much of helping loved ones is to be alert and SEE that something is wrong.

calling 911

Call 911 – Reach out for help

911 Dispatchers are there for you!

Do you envision 911 happens like this?   Step 1: You call 911   Step 2: You hear sirens as the truck arrives

Nope, this is what happens…

Step 1: You call 911   Step 2: Dispatch talks to you and helps you   Step 3:  You give care in that vital Window of Time  Step 4: You hear sirens as the truck arrives

Dispatch is amazing.   They are there for you –  to help you stay calm if you are very frightened.   They focus in on the questions to ask about the person in trouble.    That information helps you take action – that information helps them convey to the en route response team what they need to know.

What if they say to you, “Do you know how to give CPR compressions?”

Whoa

What if you say, “No, no I don’t…”

You don’t want that feeling!    Scared.  Helpless.

I (and all health care agencies) want you to be able to say, “Yes, yes, I do!”

You’re Smart.   For 2016, you are going to do it, right?  CPR – get training!

For 15 years, I have taught a youth (age 11+) Babysitting Safety/CPR class.   We work with dolls to diaper and burp, first aid, spending quality time, the choking skill and, yes, full CPR training.    I tell my young students as we begin class that I commend them for taking the 4 hour course to get trained before they babysit.   Many parents – and maybe the parents they will babysit for – are not trained.   Yes, the parents love their little precious children – but they STILL don’t get trained!    As babysitters, I tell them they may be more able to save a young life than those parents are!

confident-woman-image1

I can DO it!

If someone gets trained, there is a presence of confidence and security that I believe is priceless.   That person, in their heart and mind, has a background sense of being empowered to respond, to be able to save a life.

I consider it similar to knowing how to change a tire on your vehicle, as a possible example.   You may never have to change a tire but someone taught you and there is a quiet, silent confidence in the back of your mind of “I know what to do if I need to change a tire!”.   Nice feeling, that confidence that you are empowered to act.

Changing a tire?   Small potatoes.

Saving a loved one’s life?   Priceless.

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Jean Lesmeister, 15 year Babysitting CPR, Adult CPR & First Aid Instructor

American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)

Please SHARE this information with your network – THANK YOU!

EasyCPR-Denver.com       Connect with me on Facebook

Oct 22
0

Good questions for kids – instead of ‘how was your day’

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Youth Babysitter Tips | No Comments

For 15 years I have been teaching youth Babysitting Safety classes and Adult CPR classes.   I love the idea of everyone getting trained!    You ARE most likely to give care to someone you love.

I particularly like that the youth Babysitting CPR class (yes, includes CPR) is not only making them safer babysitters but also giving them LIFE skills.   They learn to recognize an emergency, feel confident to reach out to Dispatch/911, utilize the choking skill training, and more – and can help their families and friends.

Questions for Kids

A BIG topic in my Babysitting CPR class is to talk about avoiding television and video games.    I urge babysitters to give personal attention to the children for two reasons 1) the children benefit from attention and 2) the children will prefer them over other babysitters – which equates to money.      I tell my students (age 11+) as I start class, “I am thinking you are here today to take a Babysitting CPR class because you a) like children and b) want to make money“.    They squirm and laugh and grimace that I pegged that b) part.   I commend them for getting trained – and they head out of class eager to make money with their “new business”.

I tell them, “Good for you!   You deserve to make money as a Babysitter because you are two things these parents want – a) you are kind and b) you are trained – by taking this class”.

kid talking

“Talking” kids – not TV or video game zombies

I urge babysitters – and parents – to get the little children to TALK.    It can be pretty shocking how little attention time in the day children get from their parents – and babysitters.   Life is going at a crazy pace.    Parents drop kids at school or day care – where they are in GROUPS in these environments which equates to reduced personal time.   At home in the evening, there is also LOTS going on –  parents are preparing dinner, catching up with each other, trying to get the dog some exercise, check mail received,  and more.

Questions for Kids from Parent CO

I really like this article from Parent CO written for parents to ask their child after a school day – but these great questions can be used by youthful babysitters, too.

It’s about get the child talking.     “How was your day” is a question that will likely garner only this response – “Fine”.     A dead end.

Here’s a great one!    “Who made you smile today?”

Or,  “Did anyone push your buttons today?”

Or,  “Which person in your class is your exact opposite?”

Or,  “If aliens came to school and beamed up 3 kids, who do you wish they would take? Why?”

Be creative!    You can think up a whole bunch more “Questions for Kids”!

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Jean Lesmeister, 15 year CPR and First Aid Instructor

EasyCPR-Denver.com

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Oct 05
1

Sneezing advice is important to know – and share.

By | ARE you ready to help?, Blog, Prevent injury | No Comments

Sneezing Advice

Of course, it’s normal to sneeze all year round, during every season.    However, in the fall of the year, we start thinking about the upcoming flu season.    Our own sneezing and people sneezing around us has a higher profile.   We’re sensitizing to the upcoming flu season.    Which is good!    Flu season IS coming!     Reminder ourselves of sneezing advice is a great idea.

Let’s stop spreading germs to each other.

Airborne Germs and Viruses

One way we get sick is by inhaling those germs and viruses from the air – called airborne contact.  Airborne contact is usually because someone has sneezed.     The person who spread the germs into the air may have not been very close to you when they sneezed.   They may have left their sneeze behind hours ago – but it’s still in the air for you to inhale, hours and hours later.

Another big germ spreader – our hands!   Everyone’s hands have picked up germs from some surface or other and as we touch this, touch that, we are busily spreading those germs about.    Common items that many people touch through a day:

  • a door knob
  • a computer mouse
  • a table top
  • a chair back
  • an elevator button
  • rest room stall locks

Sneezing advice – Wash Your Hands!

Stop and think – did you wash your hands before reaching for your lunch sandwich?   What IS on your hands?

Stop and think – did you wash your hands before you rubbed your eye?   did you lick your finger to turn the page in a book?

 

From Science Line –  “Sneezing is basically ‘nature’s broom,’” says Dr. James Banks, an allergist and immunologist in private practice in Arnold, Md. “It is a way our bodies purge foreign matter that has invaded our noses.”

About sneezing…   Did you know you have a “sneeze center”?

From WebMD –  Neil Kao, MD, an allergy and asthma specialist at the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville, S.C. states, “Sneezes protect your body by clearing the nose of bacteria and viruses.  When something enters your nose or you encounter a trigger that sets off your “sneeze center” in your brain (located in the lower brain stem) signals are rapidly sent to tightly close your throat, eyes, and mouth. Next, your chest muscles vigorously contract, and then your throat muscles quickly relax.  As a result, air — along with saliva and mucus — is forced out of your mouth and nose.”

It is believed that a sneeze can come out of your body at 100 miles per hour.

Yes, 100 miles per hour – and drops of saliva can fly out 11 feet and more.

ABC news has made a 2-minute video showing sneezing advice and sneezing information that is great!   It’s called “What Is The Best Way to Sneeze?”    (may have a short commercial to skip, first)   This is GREAT sneezing advice!

Sneezing advice - use a tissue!

Sneezing advice – use a tissue!

You’ll find that YOUR MOM WAS RIGHT – the only way to 100% stop sneeze spray is a handkerchief or tissue.    Thanks, Mom!    Another great solution if the sneeze is coming NOW and you don’t have time – pull your shirt out and sneeze down inside your shirt.    Germs are stopped right there – none out into the community!    Good for you.

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Jean Lesmeister, 15 year CPR & First Aid Instructor

EasyCPR-Denver.com

Please join me on Facebook !