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Drowning does not look like drowning
12 years ago
General
It's summer time and we all know what that means. Water! My husband and I are even making the trip to the beach this year, where I spent all my childhood vacations.
Talking with him and a friend the other night about physiological responses and how sometimes you really CAN'T control yourself, I brought up drowning as an example. A drowning person can not call for help or wave their arms. They are too busy trying to breath and stay afloat. My husband never really got it, he just didn't understand.
Having a toddler son who we love to take to the pool and someday will bring with us to the beach this was a little unnerving for me. Ideally the best experience for my husband would be a lifeguard class like I took when I was younger, but small towns, we don't really have many opportunities for that around here.
Rather than depress him with stories and articles that show how easy it is for parents to watch their children drown without ever realising that they are drowning, I had him read this simple article. It's not too long, and it's easy to understand. Please, share this on your facebook pages and with family and friends.
http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/
Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:
Head low in the water, mouth at water level
Head tilted back with mouth open
Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
Eyes closed
Hair over forehead or eyes
Not using legs – Vertical
Hyperventilating or gasping
Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Trying to roll over on the back
Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.
On a similar note, if you are going to the ocean or a major lake you should look up how to spot rip tides(undertow) and how to handle them.
Talking with him and a friend the other night about physiological responses and how sometimes you really CAN'T control yourself, I brought up drowning as an example. A drowning person can not call for help or wave their arms. They are too busy trying to breath and stay afloat. My husband never really got it, he just didn't understand.
Having a toddler son who we love to take to the pool and someday will bring with us to the beach this was a little unnerving for me. Ideally the best experience for my husband would be a lifeguard class like I took when I was younger, but small towns, we don't really have many opportunities for that around here.
Rather than depress him with stories and articles that show how easy it is for parents to watch their children drown without ever realising that they are drowning, I had him read this simple article. It's not too long, and it's easy to understand. Please, share this on your facebook pages and with family and friends.
http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/
Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:
Head low in the water, mouth at water level
Head tilted back with mouth open
Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
Eyes closed
Hair over forehead or eyes
Not using legs – Vertical
Hyperventilating or gasping
Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Trying to roll over on the back
Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.
On a similar note, if you are going to the ocean or a major lake you should look up how to spot rip tides(undertow) and how to handle them.
