In this super hot weather we are experiencing it is very important to know the signs of a heat related emergency. Seniors and youth are most susceptible to something heat related, so make sure to keep a close eye on them when you can. The American Red Cross has put together the following guidelines about how to identify and treat heat related health issues:
How to Recognize and Treat Heat Emergencies
Heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke are conditions caused by overexposure to
heat. Heat cramps are the least severe but, if not cared for, may be followed by heat
exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are heat-related illnesses.
Generally, illnesses caused by overexposure to extreme temperatures are preventable.
To prevent heat emergencies from happening to you or anyone you know, follow these
guidelines:
• Avoid being outdoors in the hottest part of the day.
• Change your activity level according to the temperature.
• Take frequent breaks.
• Dress appropriately for the environment.
• Drink large amounts of fluids before, during, and after activity.
The easiest way to prevent illness caused by temperature extremes is to avoid being
outside during the part of the day when temperatures are most extreme.
Heatstroke
The signals of heatstroke include—
hot, red skin which can be dry, or moist from exercise;
changes in consciousness;
rapid, weak pulse;
rapid, shallow breathing, vomiting.
A person experiencing heatstroke can have a very high body temperature—sometimes
as high as 106°F (41° C).
What to do for heat stroke—
Heatstroke is a life-threatening situation. If you suspect someone is suffering from
heatstroke, call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number immediately:
1. Move the person to a cool place.
2. Loosen tight clothing.
3. Remove perspiration-soaked clothing.
4. Apply cool, wet cloths to the skin.
5. Fan the person.
6. If conscious, give small amounts of cool water to drink.
7. Place the person on his or her side.
8. Continue to cool the person by using ice or cold packs on the wrists, ankles, groin, and
neck and in the armpits.
9. Continue to check breathing and circulation.
Do not give liquids that contain alcohol or caffeine because they can cause further
dehydration, making conditions worse. Ensure 9-1-1 or the local emergency
number is called if the person refuses water, vomits or starts to lose
consciousness.
Heat Exhaustion
The signals of heat exhaustion include—cool, moist, pale, or flushed skin; heavy sweating;
headache;
nausea, dizziness, and exhaustion;
normal or below normal body temperature.
What to do for heat exhaustion—If you suspect someone is suffering from heat
exhaustion;
1. Move the person to a cooler place;
2. Remove or loosen tight clothing and apply cool, wet cloths, such as towels or sheets
soaked in water.
3. If the person is conscious, give him or her cool water to drink. Make sure the person
drinks slowly. Give a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes.
4. Let the person rest in a comfortable position; and
5. Watch carefully for changes in his or her condition.
Do not give liquids that contain alcohol or caffeine because they can cause further
dehydration, making conditions worse.
Heat Cramps
Heat cramps are muscle spasms that are caused by excessive sweating that results in a
deficiency of salt. Although not as serious as heat exhaustion or heatstroke, heat cramps
sometimes precede them. If someone is suffering from heat cramps, move the
person to a cooler place and have him or her rest in a comfortable position. Lightly
stretch and gently massage the affected muscle and replenish fluids. Give a half glass of
cool water every 15 minutes.
Do not give liquids that contain alcohol or caffeine because they can cause further
dehydration, making conditions worse.
Source: http://www.redcross.org/images/pdfs/code/Heat_Emergencies.pdf
We Are Proud to Announce the 2011 Verlene Ritter Award Recipient
Leslie K., CENA – Bay City, Corporate Office
This award is dedicated to an outstanding Dobson Healthcare Services, Inc. employee who has shown their ability to provide excellent care and an unforgettable positive experience to our clients.
This year’s recipient is Leslie K., a CENA from the Bay City, Corporate Office. Leslie has been a dedicated and loyal employee since January, 2011. She has been chosen for this award because of her scheduling flexibility, her ability to work well in difficult situations, and her strong clinical skills. Additionally, she has excellent communication skills with our clients, client’s family members, and the office. It is obvious she is very caring and passionate about her job.
Thank you Leslie for your continued hard work and commitment to our clients and Dobson!
We will again be an exhibitor at the Ogemaw Community Business Expo this coming April 5th. The event runs from 4p-8p at Ogemaw Heights High School. We loved the event last year and were overwhelmed by the turnout from the Ogemaw community; what a wonderful community for us to live and work in! The rest of the business community we work with in this region is phenomenal and we can’t wait to see you all soon!
For more information on the event you can check out our Facebook page
Many times we are asked how someone can help to support the various policies about Traumatic Brain Injury. There is a great resource for anyone interested in becoming an advocate for those with TBI’s at the following site, www.grasshopr.com. Also raising awareness in your community about the ways to help prevent a TBI is crucial! If you have any questions about how you can assist please feel free to contact our Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Dar Warner-Trask at 866-866-8984.
• Average hospital-based acute rehab is about $8,000 per day
• Range for post-acute residential is about $850 to $2,500 per day
• Day treatment programs (e.g., 4 hours of therapy) are about $600 to $1,000 with no room/board
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, direct medical costs and indirect costs of TBI in the U.S., such as lost productivity, totaled an estimated $76.3 billion.
Source: Brain Injury Association of America
Incidence of brain injury
• 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Injury Prevention, the leading causes of TBI are:
o Falls (35.2%)
o Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (17.3%)
o Struck by/against events (16.5%)
o Assaults (10%)
• Brain injury can result in a range of outcomes (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):
o 52,000 die
o 275,000 are hospitalized
o 1,365,000 are treated and released from an emergency department.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results in an estimated
o 2,685 deaths
o 37,000 hospitalizations
o 435,000 emergency department visits
• The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.
• TBI is a contributing factor to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the United States.
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• About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).
Source: Brain Injury Association of America
A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere to anyone – brain injuries do not discriminate. Did you know that 1.7 million people will sustain a brain injury each year? An injury that happens in an instant can bring a lifetime of physical, cognitive and behavior challenges and early, equal and adequate access to care will greatly increase overall quality of life.
We honor the millions of people with brain injury, who with proper acute care, therapeutic rehabilitation and adequate long-term supports, are living with the successes and challenges that each day brings. Our goals this year are to sustain and bolster brain injury programs, increase access to care and preserve vital brain injury research.
Dobson is committed to providing those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury cutting edge services in their homes. We have a staff of committed Certified Brain Injury Specialist’s who will be able to assist our clients, their families, and care providers with the support they will need during the difficult transition into a life affected by brain injury. We are here for you as a resource if you have any questions about care or what you may be needing in the future with your changing needs. Please, feel free to contact our office at anytime, 24/7, if you have a pressing question or need about a individual with a brain injury.
Dar Warner-Trask, Certified Brain Injury Specialist
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) and their network of state affiliates, including self-advocates, families and volunteers across the nation, will mark Brain Injury Awareness Month this March. A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone – a brain injury does not discriminate. In fact, 1.7 million Americans sustain a brain injury each year. Early and equal access to care for all is our goal. We will be sharing with you ideas on how to promote brain injury awareness in your community.
Make sure to check back on the site during the month for ongoing updates!
To find out more about the Michigan affiliate click here
This is a great article from Rich Maloof on MSN Health about the human brain!
Intellectual curiosity is one of humankind’s most admirable traits. We’re fascinated by what we don’t fully understand. Were this not true, we’d have no ongoing preoccupation with black holes, or what really happened to Amelia Earhart, or why you can’t eat just one Pringle.
We search for mysteries at the far reaches of outer space, yet there are a great many strange and unknown things going on within the finite space of our own brains. Small wonder, really, when there are as many neurons in our brains as there are stars in our galaxy: about 100 billion, give or take a few million. Though in each brain there are some 100 trillion connections made among all of those cells, not a single neuron physically touches another.
Just by virtue of the enormous numbers, the human brain is beyond our comprehension.
And that’s not even the weird stuff. Check out these mind-boggling facts.
Your eyeballs are an extension of your brain.
If someone were to open up your skull and remove your brain (carefully, please), your eyeballs would come with it. That’s because your eyes are hardwired to a lobe at the back of the head responsible for sight information. Bundles of optic nerve fibers connect the retina, where images are received, directly to the brain’s occipital lobe. The other four senses send their signals through convoluted pathways and nerve networks, but vision has a straight line into the brain, like a keyboard connected to a computer.
Brain surgery can be conducted while a patient is awake.
Patients suffering from brain tumors or epileptic seizures may undergo surgery while awake. Rather than relying exclusively on brain-imaging technology, a neurosurgeon can speak to an awake patient to mark or “map” critical areas of the brain that control vision, language, and body movement, ensuring the procedure’s accuracy and safe outcome. The patient is anesthetized during the portion of surgery when doctors make their way through the cranium to the exposed brain.
The brain knows everything but can’t feel a thing.
The brain itself has no receptors for pain. It has no sensory nerve system of its own to detect temperature, pressure, or even tissue damage. In the awake-surgery mentioned above, a surgeon could poke the exposed matter with a needle and the patient would not feel any sensation in the brain. When cysts or tumors cause headaches, the pain results from pressure on nerve tissue and/or blood vessels surrounding the brain.
Brain freeze is a mystery.
Nobody’s quite sure why a fast gulp of Slurpee can leave you feeling like a vice is crushing the inside of your head. We call it “brain freeze,” but the sensation is actually felt around the temples and the mask of the face; remember, the brain itself has no pain receptors. The best guess among scientists is that a cold drink, when rapidly consumed, shocks the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for sensation to the face and head. The brain’s hypothalamus gets a message to create warmth and responds by dilating vessels around the nerve to heat the area with blood flow. But the sudden dilation causes pressure and a stunning wave of pain.
The brain is an oxygen hog.
“Although the brain constitutes only 2 percent of our body mass, it uses 20 percent of the oxygen,” explains Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, Ph.D., of the Semel Institute’s Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity at UCLA. In other words, the brain uses up a fifth of the oxygen we breathe. This leaves the brain highly susceptible to damage during anoxic episodes; after about four minutes without oxygen-rich blood, brain cells start to die.
You can’t tickle yourself.
Well, you can try, but you won’t laugh. The body’s sensory nervous system is active all the time, allowing us to hear our own breathing or feel the weight of our body on our feet. Yet, these are background sensations; our sensory attention is reserved for signals from the external world such as a honking car or a kiss on the cheek. Neuroscientists believe that the cerebellum, a small area responsible for coordinating movement and motion, predicts our own sensory actions and differentiates them. Says Molnar-Szakacs, “The cerebellum warns your brain/body that the ‘tickle’ movement is coming, and so the sensory part of the brain essentially knows to ignore the sensation.”
The brain is terribly smart, but it can be fooled.
In the image shown here, the squares marked A and B are the same exact shade of gray. Really. No fooling. The checkershadow illusion plays on the way the brain’s visual system uses contrast to determine light levels. (A complete explanation of the illusion by its creator, professor Edward H. Adelson of M.I.T., is available here.)
One thing that’s great about that last experiment is that it underscores the confidence, even the blind faith, we have in the brain. With just a few scant clues about how that gelatinous mass works, we’re absolutely certain that it does. We can imagine challenges beyond the capacity of other organs and body parts: a load we know is too heavy for our arms, a meal our stomach won’t tolerate, a pitch too high for our ears to detect. But a challenge to the brain’s reliability and accuracy? Do you really mean to tell me those hundred billion neurons are not doing their job? Them’s fightin’ words.
Source: Rich Maloof’s award-winning writing has covered subjects ranging from soda pop to stem cells. He has written for MSN, CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Women’s Health, and various other publications. He is the published author of 12 books to date, including several instructional titles for musicians. His latest title, This Will Kill You, is being released by St. Martin’s Press in May. Rich is a regular contributor to Brain & Body.
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/7-weird-but-true-facts-about-the-human-brain
Children who sustain a traumatic brain injury at a younger age have different results as they heal than those who are older. At Dobson we are able to provide services to children as they recover at home from a traumatic brain injury. Our specially trained staff for Certified Brain Injury Specialists can assist with all levels of care during the recovering process.
Check out this article from cnn.com for more information.
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Development in Young Children