How to save a life...

...or, at least, try to.

Last Sunday, I attended a Basic Life Support class. It's been four years since I last got certified but I'm happy to report that it was still pretty much second nature to me. Knowing how to give prompt medical aid to people before they reach the hospital, or in situations where advanced medical care isn't immediately available, is a must for all healthcare providers. While it may not always manage to save a life, it does increase a victim's chance of survival.

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But I don't think knowledge of basic life support should be limited to just healthcare individuals. Everyone should learn it if they have the opportunity. You don't need any special medical know-how to be able to learn and  perform it well. Although I hope that no one will ever actually have to use it, being armed with this skill could help save the life of someone you know - a colleague, a friend, or even a family member.

You can view basic life support videos online such as on Learn CPR, a free public service website supported by the University of Washington School of Medicine. They have guides and demos for Adult, Child and Infant CPR as well as first aid for choking victims. I hope you'll take the time to watch some of them just so you can have an idea on how to do them. And if you have the chance to take a class and get certified, that would be even better.

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." - Heinlein 

Mood Music: Staying Alive by Bee Gees