Water Safety Tips

Being from Michigan, summer is all about water activities. From swimming in pools and lakes to water skiing and boating with friends and family, its one of the best features of Michigan. However, you need to be mindful of the risks. Have fun but stay safe! Here is list of water safety tips to keep you safe this summer:

1. Designate a responsible adult to watch all children in or around the water. Make sure your full attention is on the children at all times. An accident can happen in the few seconds you go to answer the phone.


2. Always swim with a buddy.


3. Swim at places with lifeguards when possible.


4. Avoid alcohol while swimming, boating, water skiing, or supervising children around water.


5. Learn to swim. Have all persons in your household take swimming lessons.


6. Learn CPR. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to improve outcomes in drowning victims.


7. Do not use air-filled or foam toys in place of a life jacket. Water wings and noodles are toys and are not designed for safety.
   

Do you own a pool? If you do, you should:

1. Install a four-sided, isolation pool fence that completely separates your living space from your pool area.


2. Make sure the fence is at least 4 feet high


3. Use self-closing and self-latching gates that open outward with latches that are out of reach of children.


4. Consider installing an alarm on the fence that way you know when someone has entered the pool area.


5. Remove toys in and around the pool area when they are not in use. Toys can be tempting to kids and cause them to accidentally fall in the water when trying to retrieve them.
   

Are you going to a natural body of water, like a lake?

1. Know the weather forecast. Avoid swimming and boating during bad weather conditions.


2. Use U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets when boating.


3. Know the meaning of and obey warnings represented by colored beach flags.


4. Watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents (e.g. water that is discolored and choppy, foamy, or filled with debris and moving in a channel away from shore). If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore; once free of the current, swim toward shore.
   
   

For more information, see the CDC website.

Fallen Over Your Dog or Cat Lately?

Seeing your pet first thing in the morning or right as you're coming in the door from work is one of the best parts of pet ownership. They run up, greet you excitedly. I look forward to it everyday. But in the excitement, have you ever fallen due to your pet? If so, you're not alone.

According to a report by the CDC, 240 people are seen in emergency department everyday for dog or cat related falls.

The study which examined 5 years of emergency room data revealed :

1. 88 percent of fall injuries involved dogs than cats.
2. Among injuries related to dogs:

• 31 percent of persons fell or tripped over dogs.
• 21 percent fell after being pushed or pulled by dogs.

3. For injuries related to cats, 66 percent fell or tripped over cats.

To reduce your risks for pet related falls, the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends obedience training for dogs to reduce behaviors such as pushing and pulling that can cause falls.

Pet related items like toys and food dishes are also a fall hazard. These items should not be placed in walking paths and should be picked up when not in use.

Have you recently visited emergency room or urgent care center (as a patient or a visitor)? If so, please rate your rate health care experience now! The reviews take a few short minutes, but provide others in the community invaluable information when making their health care decision.

Is your home safe from falls?

Falls can happen anywhere, at home, at the store, and yes, even at a hospital or nursing home. According to the CDC, an older adult is treated in the ER every 18 seconds for a fall related injury. They can happen quickly and have tragic results.

Here are 10 tips to make your home safer for your family and visitors:

• Remove small throw rugs on smooth surfaces or tape down with carpet tape to insure lack of movement


• Install grab bars in the bathrooms to aid in mobility


• Keep items you use daily within reach to avoid overstretching and use a step stool for those items out of reach


• Choose footwear that provides the best traction for your surfaces


• Carpeting or carpet strips are great for your stairs


• Clean up spills as they happen


• Don't rush to answer a doorbell or phone call


• Keep shoes against the wall and out of the traffic zone


• Have adequate lighting throughout your house


• Tape down or bundle up extension cords, if possible relocate items needing cords next to electrical outlets.

Safety in your home is achievable with just a few minor changes. Please take the time today to make your home safer.