FORT LEE, Va. (March 28, 2014) -- April is already upon us, and it brings hope of long-awaited warmer temperatures and bright sunny days that tend to be more uplifting to ones spirits.
With the nicer weather comes increased outdoor activity: children riding bikes, long walks with the dog, skateboarding in the park, cookouts and outdoor games with family and friends. With all of the outdoor fun and excitement who has time to think about safety. If we want to participate in all the outdoor fun we should consider doing it in a safe manner.
Traumatic brain injury is a serious injury and can be prevented with a few important tips. Anyone, regardless of age, should wear a helmet when riding a bike or scooter, playing football, skateboarding, roller skating, horseback riding and other outdoor sports.
Unfortunately, some people don't want to wear a helmet. They have many excuses -- it messes up their hair, takes too long to find and put on, their child left it "somewhere" and "I won't look good in my 'selfie." '
Taking a few extra minutes to put it on can save a life.
Be mindful of children playing while you're driving and proceed with caution through neighborhoods.
Another tip to decrease TBI is to child-proof your house by securing furniture and TV's to walls to prevent them from being pulled over and causing injuries.
So, let's look to a brighter subject -- sun safety. Hopefully, we will have a warm spring and summer filled with lots of sunshine. With the sun comes a greater potential for sunburns, sun poisoning and dehydration. I can't stress enough how important it is to apply sunblock before going outdoors. Make it a routine to apply sunscreen on yourself and your children daily.
Keep a bottle of sunblock with you for the season so that you can re-apply sunblock during the day.
Another idea is to put some kind of thermal or cooler in your vehicle to keep the bottle of sunblock in along with water to stay hydrated.
It's easy to get dehydrated if individuals don't drink enough fluids and people can be more susceptible during warm andhot weather. Drinking water is a better option than soda to keep hydrated because soda can increase dehydration.
Some signs and symptoms of possible mild to moderate dehydration is likely to be dry, sticky mouth, sleepiness or tiredness. Children are likely to be less active than usual, thirst, decreased urine output, no wet diapers for three hours for infants, few or no tears when crying, headache, constipation, dizziness or lightheadedness.
Possible severe dehydration (a medical emergency) symptoms may include all or some of the following: extreme thirst, extreme fussiness or sleepiness in infants and children; irritability and confusion in adults, very dry mouth, skin and mucous membranes, little or no urination, dark yellow colored urine, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and breathing, fever and in the most serious cases -- delirium or unconsciousness.
Be safe, stay hydrated, use sunblock and enjoy the nice weather.
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