Family Health - First Aid
Family members will be able to treat common
first aid problems: wounds and cuts, burns, and shock.
Lesson Preparation
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Visit the local health clinic and see if there are any pictures
or resources to share with the family.
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For an object lesson, get two pieces of fruit, for example, bananas-one
good and one bruised to show how the skin protects the body.
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A pan for water, alcohol, scissors, and tweezers.
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Red lipstick or other red substance to simulate a wound during
the lesson.
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Purified water, antiseptic, soap, and bandaging material for treatment
of cuts.
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Clean cloths, white vinegar, purified water, and talk to make hot
and cold compresses.
Concepts to be Taught:
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There are 5 basic steps for treating wounds and cuts.
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Get medical help to treat wounds that are infected.
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Use 3 basic treatments for skin problems: Hot compresses,
cold compresses, and protection from the sun.
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The 3 kinds of burns: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree each need
to be treated differently.
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Treat a person who is in shock
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 Click on the magnifying glass of any
image for enlargement. |
Introduction
Our skin protects our bodies from harm or injury from the entrance
of germs. Just like the peel on a banana, the skin keeps us healthy
unless it is broken by wounds, cuts, scrapes, insect bites or burns.
If there is an opening in the skin, it can cause us harm by letting
in germs and infections.
Concept #1:
There are 5 basic steps for treating cuts and wounds.
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| Figure 1. |
Most cuts and wounds are minor and can be treated at home. If a wound
is very deep, or bleeds a lot, a person may need to see a doctor. The
following are the 5 basic steps for treating a cut or wound (#1):
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Stop the bleeding. Put a clean cloth over the wound. This could
be a scarf, towel, piece of clothing, etc. Press down for at least
3 minutes.
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Wash the wound. Washing the wound is the best way to prevent infection.
Wash hands first with soap and water and rinse in purified water
or sanitized solution. Wash wound with purified water and disinfectant
soap.
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Remove dirt particles. Some wounds have dirt imbedded in them.
Lift flaps of skin gently with sterile tweezers. (Sterilize tweezers
by boiling them in water for a few minutes or soaking in alcohol
for 15 minutes and them covering them until they will be used.)
Continue to squirt or pour purified water on the wound until it
is completely clean. (Do not apply alcohol, tincture of iodine,
or Merthiolate on wound as it will slow the healing by hurting the
flesh.)
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Close the skin. A wound less than 12 hours old will heal faster
with the edges held together. This can be done by stitches by a
health worker or with a butterfly bandage made from adhesive tape.
A butterfly bandage is made from a strip of tape that has two notches
cut in either side that fits over the cut. (See Supplementary material
at the end of the lesson for details.)
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Dress and cover the wound. Once the wound is clean and closed u,
it should be gently covered with a clean cloth, gauze, or toilet
paper. Antiseptic or antibiotic can be applied, if available, before
the covering.
Learning Activity #1:
Using the red lipstick, make a pretend wound on the arm of a family
member. Practice the correct way to treat the injury.
| Practice correctly bandaging a wound |
Concept #2:
Get medical help to treat wounds that are infected.
Some wounds may become infected. These will need to be treated by a
doctor or other health worker. Signs of infection include:
Learning Activity #2:
Tell the story: Little Juan was playing with some sticks and wood out
in back of his house. A small bird caught his attention in the brush
and he jumped up to run and catch it. He was so excited, he didn't watch
where he was going and got a deep scratch on his foot from the brush.
His foot hurt but he was so intent on getting the bird, he pain no attention.
As he played the the brush through the day, the scratch got dirtier
and dirtier. The next day the scratch was very sore and tender , and
a few days later it was red, hot, swollen, and hod pus. Ask: What was
wrong? What should Juan do?
Concept #3:
Use 3 basic home treatments for skin problems: Hot compresses,
cold compresses, and protection from sunlight.
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| Figure 2. |
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| Figure 3. |
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| Figure 4. |
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| Figure 5. |
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| Practice hot and cold compresses |
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| Figure 6. |
There are many kinds of skin problems that need treatment including:
swelling, pain, or burning feeling, itching, rashes or dry, scaly patches,
spots that feel hot, blisters or oozing areas, infected sores and wounds
that heal slowly (#2). Some of these may be treated at home.
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Hot compresses (#3). Use hot compresses for swelling, pain, skin
that feels hot to the touch, or pus. The instructions are: Boil
some water and then allow it to cool enough to put your hand in
it. Take a clean cloth or towel and fold it so that it is slightly
larger than the infected area. Dip the cloth in the water and place
it over the injured area. Put a sheet of cellophane or plastic over
the cloth and wrap the whole area in a towel. Try to keep the injured
area above the body. Rewet the towel when it becomes cool.
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Cold compresses (#4). Use cold compresses for itching, stinging,
blistering or areas that are oozing clear fluid. Soak cloths in
a mixture of one liter of cool purified water and 2 tablespoons
of white vinegar. Reapply cloths to the affected area several times
a day. The area will fell better after several days. After a few
days, the affected area will fell better and start forming sew skin.
At this point, mix one part talc and one part purified water and
spread mixture lightly over the skin. When the new skin starts to
thicken or flake, spread a little vegetable or baby oil on the area.
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Protect from sunlight (#5). Cover any affected areas of the skin
from too much sunlight by clothing, hats, or umbrellas.
Signs of serious problems include: a skin condition that gets worse
rather than better with home treatment; lymph nodes become swollen behind
the ears, under the chin, in the armpits, in the groin; a red line on
the skin appears from the affected area to the heart; or the infected
area starts to small badly.
Learning Activity #3:
Practice hot and cold compresses on family members.
Concept #4:
The three kinds of burns: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns each need
to be treated differently.
Heat and flames from open fires, hot grease and other substances, cooking
pans, boiling liquids, explosions, hot irons, and too much sunlight
can all cause burns to different degrees and are treated differently.
Show picture and explain the following (#6):
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First degree burns are minor and are red, swollen, but do not form
blisters.
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Second degree burns are more serious and have blisters that swell
and fill with fluid.
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Third degree burns are serious and painful because they destroy
the skin and expose raw flesh.
Treatment for the burns is as follows:
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First degree burns can be treated at home by soaking the burned
area in cool, purified water and if necessary giving the person
a pain reliever with acetaminophen as the major ingredient.
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Second degree burns need to be treated on the condition of the
blisters. If the blisters have not broken, protect them from breaking
and treat the area as a first degree burn. If the blisters have
broken, wash hands in soap and purified water and carefully wash
the burn with soap and purified water. Put petroleum jelly on the
bandage or a clean cloth and cover the burn. Do not put other substances
such as grease, coffee grounds or animal hides on the burns because
they can cause infection. If the burn is small or cannot be covered,
wash it several times a day and keep it clean.
| Identify three kinds of burns and the appropriate
treatments |
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Third degree burns are serious due to the high risk of infection.
A person with third degree burns or burns over a large portion of
the body need to see a trained health worker. Until a trained health
worker is found, wrap the burned area very loosely in a clean cloth.
Learning Activity #4:
Practice identifying and treating the three kinds of burns.
Concept #5:
Treat a person who is in shock.
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| Figure 7. |
| Practice treating a person in shock |
Anytime a person is seriously hurt, for example with a cut or burn,
they may react by going into shock. A person in shock may have a weak,
rapid pulse; damp, pale, or clammy skin; and feel confused, weak, or
go unconscious. Treat shock by (#7):
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Have there person lie down with feet elevated above the head.
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Cover person with a blanket if feeling cold.
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If person is conscious, let him drink lukewarm liquids, especially
oral rehydration solution.
Learning Activity #5:
Have a family member pretend to be in shock. Practice the three steps
for treating shock.
Review
Since this lesson is lengthy with many kinds of treatments, it will
be necessary to review several times during the week and afterwards.
Follow the Learning Activities for Concepts 1-5.
Family Activity:
Prepare the family for any problem that may require first id by:
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Having all first aid materials collected together in a place that
family members can easily reach.
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Review periodically on first aid treatments.
List of figures for lesson 5.5
(Click on the numbered links below to view and print full-sized figures)
1. There are 5 steps for treating wounds.
-The first is stop the bleeding.
-The second step is to wash the wound.
-The third step is to remove the dirt particles.
-The fourth step is to close the skin.
-The fifth step is to dress and cover the wound.
2. Sometimes wounds get infected, especially
when they get dirty and are not treated.
3. Hot compresses are used when the skin
is swollen, is painful, feels hot to the touch, or has pus.
4. Cold compresses are used for itching,
stinging, blistering, or areas that are oozing clear fluids.
5. Protect sensitive or injured skin from
the sun.
6. The three kinds of burns are: 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd degree. They each need to be treated differently.
7. A person in shock needs to lie down, be
covered with a blanket, and given lukewarm liquids if conscious.
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