Page 8 - Christiana Care Focus June July 2018

Cover Story |
If your skin is sunburned or you’re
squinting against the bright sun, your eyes could use protection.
See an eye doctor every year or two (depending on your vision plan) to help preserve your vision in the long term.
Who’s watching
tAh o s e t o t s ?
ccording to the Centers for Disease Control, drowning is one of the top 10 leading causes of death for children in every
region of the world.
Children are naturally curious, so it’s especially important to be careful with children around water, said Amanda Kay, M.D., MPH, FAAP, medical director of
the Wilmington Health Center Pediatric Practice. Wherever there is standing water, even a child-sized pool, kids under 5 should be within arm’s length of an adult who is supervising them, she said.
Jellyfish — ouch!
During a day at the beach, jellyfish can be difficult to avoid, but the pain of their stings can be lessened with a few simple steps, said Jones.
1. Evenadeadjellyfishcansting,so wear sandals in the sand. “That was my one encounter with a jellyfish,” Jones said. “I stepped on a dying or dead one near the water’s edge, and my foot was on fire.”
2. Ifyou’restung,rinseofftheaffected area using either seawater or hot
tap water. This will help remove the stinging cells the jellyfish can leave
on their victims. If you can, wear gloves so that you don’t get the stinging cells on your hands.
3. Lightly scrape the stinging cells off your body with a sand shovel or another tool.
Christiana Care optician Lauren Willetts, ABOC, wants you to have a safe, healthy summer.
4. If you have shaving cream and a razor handy, shaving is a great way to get the
stinging cells off your body without getting them on
yourhands.
5. No vinegar needed. When it comes to the typical jellyfish in our region, there’s
no need to pour anything on a sting, including the commonly
recommendedvinegar.
6. Some people can have an allergic response to a jellyfish
sting. If that happens, call 911 to summon immediate help.
Pool safety for parents and kids
Pick a pool-watcher.
At a pool gathering, parents should know who’s watching the kids and never assume that a child is being watched. “It’s always important
to have one adult at any gathering who knows how to swim and is completely in charge of watching the children,” Dr. Kay said.
Enclose your pool.
Don’t depend on a pool alarm. Secure your pool within a a fence or other barrier.
Swimmers are at risk, too.
“Remember that no child is drown-proof,” Dr. Kay said. “Just because a child knows how to swim does not mean that they’re not at risk for drowning.”
Learn child and infant CPR.
Everyone at a pool should be ready to do what they can to rescue a child who is not breathing. Even young teenagers can learn CPR, and children can learn how to seek help when someone is in trouble.
6 CHRISTIANA CARE HEALTH SYSTEM