Disaster Rally

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Natural Disasters
    • Earthquakes
    • Hurricanes
    • Tornadoes
    • Fires
    • Floods
    • Tsunamis
    • Other
  • Man-Made Disasters
    • Nuclear
    • Pollution
    • War
    • Other
  • Prepare
    • Plan
    • Supplies
  • Disaster Resources
    • Agencies
    • Aid
    • Medical
    • Rescue
    • How To Help
    • People in need
  • Contact
  • About Us: Disasterrally

Emergency Pediatric Care or How to Help Children in a Crisis

Email, RSS Follow
Pin It

Children require special emergency pediatric care, as they are more vulnerable to the effects of a disaster. Any parent, family member, or guardian, wants to make sure that their loved ones are safe. Planning for a disaster can be a bit overwhelming. However, you must be prepared for any emergency. Depending on the area where you live, you might be at risk for forest fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and severe weather. Let’s talk about why the little ones need more care and how you can help them during a crisis.

three children lying on the floor

Why Are Children More Vulnerable?

Children are very different from adults because:

  • They are more prone to injuries and diseases.
  • Kids breathe in more air than adults do.
  • They have thinner, more delicate skin.
  • Children have fewer fluids in their bodies, thus fluid loss can have a larger effect on them.
  • They lose body heat faster.
  • Kids don’t fully understand the concept of safety.
  • They depend on adults.
  • Children may not know how to explain what hurts.
  • Kids do not fully understand the situation they are in.

It only takes three seconds for an earthquake to crush a home and the family inside it.

In just five hours, a flood can as much as drown a whole town. As a result, thousands of kids can be left vulnerable to deadly diseases such as malaria or cholera.

Seven days is all it takes for the lives of children to be threatened. Many countries run out of food and water and the outcome of such as disaster is malnutrition and salvation.

baby boy crying needing emergency pediatric care

Are You and Your Family at Risk?

The Alert Systems Group’s disaster risk map provides us with information about the possible risks you may be facing depending on where you live. Natural disasters can affect anyone. The same goes for man-made ones. Different types of emergencies require different skills and different knowledge on how to handle them.

How to Prepare for Emergencies

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Family Readiness Kit can help you be prepared for almost every natural disaster. It was developed by specialists after discussing with thousands of families. The feedback they received helped make a set of unique, vital materials. The kit can be used at home by any member of the family.

It is important for adults to be prepared to meet the emotional needs of their children. Kids often say that their parents avoid discussing disaster. However, talking about these natural events may make the young ones feel safer.

Although it may be difficult to start preparing for an emergency, once you dive into the process, it becomes a lot easier. All family members can come together to make a disaster plan. Even the child’s doctor can help. Consequently, during your next visit to the doctor’s office, ask them how should you prepare for an emergency.

How to Communicate with Your Children

  • Tell them about the disasters that could happen in the area where you live. Teach them what are the different warning signs (fire alarm, tornado siren, and more).
  • Show them where the list of contact is. It’s important they know where to find the doctor’s or the pharmacy’s phone numbers.
  • Teach them what 911 is and how to dial the number.
  • Consider using the Child ID Card. Place a copy in their backpack.
  • Arrange a meeting place in case you ever become separated from the rest of the family.
  • Install the Red Cross Emergency App. If your kid is old enough for a phone, download the app to their smartphone. It will alert them of any watch or warning.
  • Show children where the smoke alarms are.
  • Teach the young ones how to use the fire extinguisher.parents talking with kids

Who Provides Emergency Pediatric Care?

Children requiring emergency pediatric care have unique needs, especially when their lives are threatened. The majority of kids, either ill or injured, are brought to community hospital emergency departments. Furthermore, emergency medical services agencies can provide out-of-hospital care.

To meet the requirements of pediatric care, the Emergency Nurses Association developed the ENPC certification course. The Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course is intended to improve the care of the children by increasing the level of knowledge, the skills, and the confidence among the nursing staff.

Your neighbors may become lifesavers as well. Learn who has special qualifications such as doctors, nurses, or other emergency care practitioners.

Post-Disaster Psychological Needs

Emergency pediatric care does not end with the process of preparing for a disaster or the medical care given to treat injuries or illnesses. Parents must be aware that the psychological effects do not just disappear. Once the event has passed, you must take care of your child’s needs for a long period of time. Experts say that children can show signs of trauma for up to two years. These signs are often in the form of nightmares, but there may be other problems as well.

Children need support regardless of the fact that they may seem fine. Sometimes, kids do no exhibit signs of trauma for months after the event. Furthermore, some children may never show signs of distress, but there will be long-lasting psychological effects nonetheless. Therefore, observe your child’s behavioral changes carefully. After a trauma, children need extra counseling and attention.

Parents must seek professional help, but they must also help their children cope with what has happened. Talk to them about their fears. Ask them what they are concerned about. Listen to their feelings without judging. Try to understand their fears regardless of the fact that they may seem irrational.

Offer them reassurance that they will always be taken care of. It is also important they know they know that their family will stick together. Let them cry if they need to, and remind them that it is ok to be afraid from time to time. They do not always have to be brave. They may feel that everything is out of their control. Therefore, show them that there are many things that they are still in control of.

It’s important you remember that a disaster can occur at any given time. Luckily, there are ways to keep your children safe. The key thing to do is be prepared and teach your children everything you know. Have them learn early on about the possible danger in your area, how to avoid it, and where to find emergency pediatric care.

IMAGE SOURCE: 1, 2, 3

Email, RSS Follow
Pin It

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 Safety Tips You Need To Know If You Live Near A Nuclear Power Plant

image source: pixabay.comWhen purchasing a home, there a lot of things to consider. What area of the United States do you want to live? Do you want to be in the country or in the city? Are you going to rent or own, and will it be an apartment or a house? If you have […]

Tornado Warning VS Tornado Watch: What You Need To Know

When it comes to severe weather, nothing is as devastating as a tornado when you consider the inch to inch devastation. Tornados often possess stronger winds than hurricanes, and due to the cyclone shape of a tornado, it increases the damage potential. Tornados are also especially dangerous if you are in its path. A single […]

Long Term Water Storage: The Ultimate Guide

While you hope that a calamity like a water shortage or other emergency will never befall in your lifetime, it is always important to be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. One of the most important aspects of emergency preparedness is ensuring you have a sufficient stockpile of water to get you […]

10 Best Filter Water Bottle Brands To Use During Emergencies

If there is one thing that all hikers and outdoor enthusiasts have in common, it’s that they all agree you should never blindly drink out of a natural water source. That’s because the unfiltered water, although fresh and natural, contains harmful bacteria and waterborne parasites that would likely go undetected by taste alone. With a […]

14 Deadliest Natural Disasters of All Time

What are the deadliest natural disasters of all time by death toll? Which type of deadliest natural disasters has the greatest death count? More importantly, what are some ways the population was affected by those disasters? Were there things that people did to worsen or better the effects of mother nature angrily smashing her surroundings? […]

4 Frostbite Symptoms And How To Treat Them

With the onset of winter comes the risk of getting frostbite. With all of the outdoor recreation that’s available to us in the winter, it is important to learn how to protect ourselves. Knowing the signs of frostbite in the early stages can help you to avoid permanent damage to your skin and underlying tissues. […]

Fire Escape Plan for Your Family: Our Complete Guide

No one ever thinks a tragedy will happen to them. We see events on the news all the time such as accidents, home invasions, and house fires. We rarely plan for these things because we never think that we will be in such a situation. If you do one thing this coming year, whether you […]

10 Tips for Living Through Power Outages

Most of us don’t think of power outages until we’re searching for flashlights or candles in the dark. Some think the light on their cellphone will be good enough to make it through power outages. That might work if power outages happen only when your phone is already fully charged. But, what about being prepared […]

How To Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous: Your Ultimate Guide

image source: Pixabay Have you ever been startled by a snake in your yard? Snakes are among the most misunderstood and feared animals on the planet, mainly because of the poisonous and potentially deadly bite a snake can inflict on its target. The truth, however, is that most snakes in the United States are non-venomous and […]

Copyright © 2023 disasterrally.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Sitemap · Contact

poisonous snake lying on the rock