Johannesburg – The festive season is here.
After a year of unprecedented stress, this is a time of much-needed relaxation, good food, and ideally many happy moments with family and friends.
That said, it’s important to keep ourselves safe and healthy during the year-end festivities. Crime rates increase during the festive season, and while we often focus on our homes and travel plans when it comes to staying safe during the holidays, being safe encompasses a lot more.
A medical emergency can happen at any time and could catch you by surprise if you are not prepared. No need to panic though. With your health and safety in mind, here are some tips to keep safe during the holidays.
Know who to contact Every emergency situation is different, and the exact procedures of how to handle the emergency may vary – but one thing that will always be your first point of call is to get help.
If disaster strikes, you might not have the time to search for emergency numbers. You may also be too stressed and panicky to think straight.
Ensure you have a list of emergency contacts printed out and displayed in a central point in your home.
A good place is the fridge.
Make sure that these contacts are updated regularly and that they include your preferred medical and security response providers, as well as a friend or family member.
It is also a good idea to keep a copy of this list in the car and save the information on your phone. If you are going away, be sure to establish where the nearest hospital and police station are.
Carry an In-Case-of-Emergency card Create an In-Case-of-Emergency card for yourself and each member of your family to carry with you.
This should include names, medical conditions, medical aid details and a contact name and number.
Should anything unforeseen happen and you are unable to communicate, this will assist responders in getting you the help you need.
Communicate with family Be sure to have a good communication plan in place with your family and loved ones.
Make it a habit to let someone know where you are going, when you get there, when you are leaving and when you are safely back home.
That way, if they do not hear from you, they will be alerted to the fact that something may be wrong.
A great solution in an emergency situation is the mySOS stand-alone panic button, which is a wearable panic button that alerts your pre-determined emergency contacts where you are with the press of a button.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
