How to Handle the Stress of an Emergency in Futon County

Unfortunately, emergency medical situations do arise. What people do in these situations can affect the treatment outcome of their loved ones, so it is important for them to be emotionally and physically prepared for an emergency.

While people would like to think that they would always act rationally or calmly when an emergency arises, that is rarely the case for most people. Whether it is one of their loved ones involved or a complete stranger, panic sometimes takes hold, and fear replaces rational, critical thinking.

Panic and fear can lead to an emotional paralysis in which people do nothing because they cannot think of what they need to do. It can also lead to faulty decision making, which creates its own set of stress symptoms. All of this tends to interfere with people being able to respond effectively and quickly in an emergency to gather needed emergency supplies and to contact emergency help.

When an emergency in Fulton County happens

One of the things that helps in an emergency is prior planning. Whether it is the onset of contractions before the birth of a baby, or a sudden emergency that arises due to a health issue or an accident, having a well thought out plan in place beforehand can prevent the emotional paralysis and much of the other stress and fear that accompanies an emergency situation.

Here are some handy prior planning steps people can take to be ready for the emergency that they hope never comes:

1. It is important to gather the telephone numbers of doctors and other emergency personnel, write them down and post them next to the telephone. People who have (as many people nowadays have) gotten rid of their land line and depend solely on their cell phone for calls can post the numbers where they will see them daily, and put them into their cell phone. On the door of the refrigerator is a great place to post these numbers.

2. Doctors in an emergency will need a list of all medications that each person in the household is taking. It is important to make sure it is kept up to date and ready to take to the emergency room.

3.

Along with this list, it is important to keep a list of all medical diagnoses each person in the household has, even common ones like diabetes, fibromyalgia, etc., as the emergency medical team will need this information.

4. Keeping a separate list of each person’s allergies to foods, medications, and other substances is also important information to take to the emergency room.

5. It is also helpful to make a list of the things to take to the emergency room such as a cell phone, the charger for the cell phone, a book to read during the long wait while testing is done, a cooler with water in it to avoid dehydration, and energy bars in case the waiting time in the emergency room goes beyond a meal time.

Once prior planning has been done, people will be ready to hopefully respond to an emergency if or when it arises with a calm demeanor so they can get their loved ones to the emergency Fulton County.

When Crises Strike, Look to Fulton County Family Services for Help

Stress is a normal part of everyday life. If people are lucky, they learn coping mechanisms that help them deal with the day-to-day stressors, and they become no more than lessons people need to learn in order to live life.

But sometimes those stressors pile up and come at people one after the other to the point that they can be overwhelming. This is when stress can become chronic and it can affect the body and interpersonal relationships, especially those within families.

Chronic stress can lead to crises requiring the assistance of Fulton County Family Services

Stress comes about because of a rush of adrenaline that results in a fight or flight response. When this fight or flight response remains triggered over time, chronic stress sets in that can cause a host of problems. The symptoms of chronic stress include:

• Irritability when even small things that would not ordinarily bother someone cause frustration and irritableness.

• Anxiousness, a feeling of ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’, fear of whatever stressor is next.

• Depression, a feeling of overwhelming sadness, sometimes with suicidal ideation.

• Insomnia that tends to worsen all of the other problems.

• Overeating or abuse of drugs or alcohol.

• Social withdrawal.

There are many things that can interfere with the harmonious functioning of a family.

Family crises can come be precipitated by host of happenings and situations, many of which people are not trained to handle:

• Death of a parent or child

• Loss of employment by one or both parents

• Children who do not have healthy coping skills and act out in inappropriate ways

• Incarceration of a parent or of a child

• Divorce

• Physical, social, sexual, or emotional abuse

• A parent or child who is depressed or suicidal

• Poor management of resources

• Rigidity in rules and regulations

• Lack of structure

• Lack of rules and regulations for family behavior

• Natural disasters

• Alcoholism of a parent

• Infidelity of a parent

• Severe illness of a child or parent

• Problems with in-laws.

A crisis is a critical juncture in a family that requires external intervention to grow beyond. It upsets the normal functioning of the family. A crisis requires a new set of responses. It is important to understand that not everyone has the training to deal with every crisis that arises.

Fulton County family services offers crisis intervention. Crisis intervention for families is uses intervention techniques with one or more family members, beginning with the person initially seeking help for the family.

Services counselors deal with identifying the family’s problem(s), they teach effective problem resolution skills, and they offer a safe place for family members to learn to interact with each other in a positive way. When more intensive work is needed, they refer family members for therapeutic counselling.

They also focus on helping the family adapt to the changes that created the crisis, and they assist with identifying community resources that can offer assistance.

Timeline of an Emergency Room Visit

Many people visit the emergency room at some point, whether for their own illness or injury or to take a friend or family member. If an ambulance is not required, a driver may accompany the injured to the ER and should know what to expect. Here are four points on the timeline of an emergency in Fulton County:

1. Getting the Patient Inside

All hospitals have a dedicated circle drive or drop-off point for emergency room patients. The driver may request assistance from staff or security personnel, such as a wheelchair to take the patient inside. Most hospitals have parking garages or nearby ER parking lots for fast access once the patient is dropped off. If it is late at night or the weather is poor upon arrival or departure, the driver can ask that a member of security act as an escort to or from the vehicle.

2. Signing In

A patient brought in by ambulance or exhibiting extreme symptoms may be taken back immediately. However, most ER visitors must sign-in at the reception desk and describe their symptoms. If possible, the patient will need to show a form of identification. The staff on duty may also ask for a phone number, address, emergency contact, and proof of insurance. If needed, translators or translating devices are commonly available throughout ER care and a hospital stay. At this point, the patient will receive a hospital bracelet and most likely directed to the waiting room.

3. Waiting to Be Seen

Depending on the day of the week and the time of day, a hospital waiting room could be very crowded. The nurses on staff will come and call patients to be seen, which is most contingent upon the severity or urgency of the illness or trauma. Patients are not seen in order of arrival, although very young or old patients with the same triage assessment as a middle-aged individual may be treated first.

The driver or anyone else accompanying the patient should stay alert to the patient’s condition as well as to the nurses calling for patients. The waiting room should be equipped with tissues and biohazard bags in case of vomiting, but most hospitals restrict patients from having water until they are triaged. This restriction is in case the treatment requires immediate scans or surgery.

4. The Triage Room

The term triage refers to a ranking system that hospitals use to assess the urgency of a patient’s condition. This system is used to sort patients and ensure that the most urgent cases are seen promptly. In the triage room or area, a nurse may:

• Ask for and enter symptoms into a computer file
• Ask about current medications and allergies
• Take vitals including temperature, pulse, and blood pressure
• Draw blood for tests
• Start an IV
• Deliver anti-nausea or other medications

Possible next steps include being taken back to the waiting room, to a temporary room, to have tests done, to an observation room, or for admittance to the hospital. In the case of an emergency fulton county, the hospital will have a large range of services 24/7 to ensure prompt and thorough treatment.

3 Facets of Fulton County Family Services

From after-school youth programs to emergency assistance, social workers oversee nearly everything having to do with the overall safety and wellbeing of children in the area. The primary function of the agency is to protect children from abuse and neglect through public education and both in-home and community-based services. The following three features of the agency help strengthen families and the surrounding community while keeping the safety of children as the number one goal.

1. Counseling and In-Home Assistance

A key function of social workers and comparable professional staff is to provide counseling and support for families in crisis. They are available in the case of loss, injury, unexpected medical diagnoses, domestic violence cases, juvenile delinquent cases, and more. Support may appear in the form of providing a listening ear, providing adoption assistance, and providing protective services including both abuse and neglect reports.

If a child does need to be removed from a home due to unfavorable conditions, this county-operated agency works to find the optimum placement. The organization oversees both residential places, for cases of abuse or neglect, as well as juvenile detention or institutional placements for truancy cases or ungovernable behaviors.

2. Community Connections and Referrals

Fulton County Social Services plays a huge role in helping families in need find resources in the community. No matter the situation, the organization will have a suggestion, from dental clinics and job fairs to transportation and childcare. Additional examples of referrals include:

• Halfway houses
• Other transitional housing
• Probate/Family court
• Domestic violence services
• Rehabilitation therapy, including speech, physical, and occupational therapy
• Alternative placements

 

Community-based placements may include foster care, group homes, and supervised independent living. Especially for cases relating to domestic violence, abuse, or family court, workers are trained to provide expedient, confidential care. They can help families cope with unexpected situations and quickly find the resources they need.

3. Advocate for Free Parenting Programs

Fulton county family services has ties with many groups, including COPE (Community Outreach, Prevention, and Education) and FGDM (Family Group Decision Making). The agency also oversees youth transitioning cases and safety assessments for children in-home and out-of-home. In addition, the organization can help connect families with free parenting programs for community members.

Sessions may run for several weeks, including group classes with other parents to share stories and ideas. Additional classes provide information and guidance for growing newborns, toddlers, and children, including guidelines for effective discipline. Some sessions cover home safety and what to expect in terms of developmental milestones. A parenting program may also include periodic screenings to ensure children are at the correct developmental age, as well as scheduled visits from an educator trained in child development.

The goal of these classes is to help strengthen inter-family relationships by improving communication, discipline, and safety. In many cases, new parents are never taught the basics, such as when infants should be introduced to solid foods or when to potty train toddlers. Parenting classes help take the guesswork out of childcare while building a stronger, more positive community.

What to Do in an Emergency in Fulton County

While everyone hopes they do not happen, medical emergencies do arise from time to time in almost everyone’s lives. Accidents happen or medical conditions worsen, so there are always people needing immediate medical attention.

What constitutes a medical emergency

A emergency fulton county is the sudden onset of a condition that begins with acute symptoms so severe that they must receive immediate medical attention or the person’s health or life will be in danger. It is important and helpful to understand what is a medical emergency and what is not, as there are many conditions that resolve themselves or can be treated in a doctor’s office rather than in an emergency room. The American College of Emergency Physicians created a list of potential medical emergencies that need to receive immediate medical attention to rule out potential health or life threatening conditions. They include:

·        Unremitting bleeding

·        Difficulty of any sort with breathing

·        A sudden and unusual change in mental status that is reflected in unusual behavior, out of the ordinary confusion, or difficulty in being awakened

·        Pain in the chest area

·        Choking that cannot be alleviated

·        Vomiting or coughing up of blood

·        Any form of loss of consciousness such as fainting

·        Unrelenting or sudden onset of vomiting

·        Injuries to the head or spinal area

·        Sudden injuries evolving from automobile accidents, burns, wounds, or being underwater too long

·        Sudden unrelenting pain in any part of the body

·        Sudden onset of dizziness, unexplained weakness, or vision problems

·        Consumption of a substance that is poisonous

·        Pain or pressure in the upper abdomen

Preparing for a medical emergency in Fulton County

While everyone hopes a medical emergency will not happen, being prepared in case one does happen takes a lot of worry out of the situation. Recommendations for ways to be prepared for a medical emergency from the National Library of Medicine include:

·        Know the location of a Fulton County medical facility, and plan out the fastest route to it. Trying to find a location in an emergency is very stressful and can delay the needed assistance.

·        Post emergency phone numbers for:

o   The police and fire department, or the first responder to emergencies

o   The local, state or national Poison Control Center

o   An ambulance company

o   Names and phone numbers for all doctors of all household members

o   Neighbors, relatives or friends who can be contacted to assist in an emergency

o   Work phone numbers of everyone in the household

·        Ensure that all household members who have major allergies, sensitivities, or chronic conditions have a medical alert tag or bracelet and a keep list of all allergies and sensitivities for all household members handy. Trying to remember this type of information in an emergency can be quite difficult.

·        Emergency response systems are handy for the elderly who live alone.

When a medical emergency in Fulton County occurs, the best place to go for treatment is the emergency room at a local hospital or 24/7 medical emergency clinic.

Family Services in Fulton County Aid Families

There are many services provided by a medical center that can positively affect families. Staying healthy is the goal for most families, and learning to do that is of paramount importance. Healthy children learn better, behave better, and enjoy life more.

The family services available in Fulton County

There are many family services in Fulton County, including:

·        Nutrition counseling services that offer education in how proper nutrition can impact health, and can help devise eating programs for a variety of conditions. From weight loss to health maintenance, these professionals help families achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Proper nutrition assists with learning, energy levels, increased immune systems, self-esteem issues associated with excess weight, and fitness. Nutritional counseling gets to the base causes of health issue, rather than just treating the symptoms. 

·        The Centers for Disease Control says that smoking cigarettes causes harm to almost every organ in the human body, and is the number one avertable cause of death. Other smoking facts offered by the Centers for Disease:

o   Over 480,000 deaths occur each year in the US due to cigarette smoking.

o   Numbers of deaths from smoking are greater than those from HIV, automobile accidents, or firearms.

o   Smokingis the cause of 90% of the lung cancer deaths, with more women dying from lung cancer than from breast cancer.

o   Smoking causes around 80% of the deaths from COPD.

o   People who smoke are 2 to 4 times more likely to get coronary heart disease and suffer from strokes.

o   Male smokers are 25 times more likely to develop lung cancer, and female smokers are at a slightly higher risk of developing lung cancer.

o   Smoking has been found to be a factor in absenteeism increases from workplaces.

o   Smoking has the potential to cause cancer just about anywhere in the body, and is not limited to the heart and lungs.

There is no level of second hand smoke that is risk free. Second hand smoke from parents who smoke causes the following problems for children:

o   The children of parents who smoke get sick more often, especially with bronchitis and pneumonia.

o   The lungs of children whose parents smoke around them grow less than children who are not exposed continually to secondhand smoke.

o   Children with smokers for parents have morewheezing, coughing and asthma, and the asthma attacks are more severe.

o   They are prone to more ear infections, fluid in their ears and operations for the insertion of drainage tubes in their ears.

o   Secondhand hand smoke has been determined to be a cause of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) because the mothers smoked during pregnancy, and then exposed the children to secondhand smoke as babies.

A Respiratory Therapy Department in a fulton county family services will offer both in-patient and out-patient services to smokers, including smoking cessation classes and consultations. Family services in Fulton County offer diabetes education, sleep disorder help, and Social Services to help families.

React F.A.S.T. to the Signs of a Stroke

A stroke affects the arteries leading to the brain, as well as the blood vessels within the gray matter. When a stroke occurs, the blood vessels become blocked by a clot or rupture, preventing oxygen from reaching the brain cells. If part of the brain cannot receive blood or oxygen, the cells begin to die, forever affecting the individual. Stroke is the number five cause of death and the number one leading cause of adult disability in the United States. Signs of a Stroke Use the acronym F.A.S.T. to spot the signs of a stroke and react in time. A stroke is always a medical emergency, and it’s important to call 9-1-1 and receive emergency fulton county quickly.

• Face Drooping—If one side of the face is drooping, is unresponsive, and feels numb, then the person may be having a stroke. Ask the person to smile and note if it’s uneven. • Arm Weakness—One arm may be weak or numb. If the person can’t raise both arms evenly, or one arm drifts downward after being raised above the head, it’s time to call an emergency line. • Speech Difficulty—Is speech slurred? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. If their speech is halted, slow, or if they are unable to speak, it’s a serious sign of a stroke. • Time to call 9-1-1—Persons suffering from a stroke need to be seen by medical professionals immediately. The long-term effects of a stroke can be minimized by reacting quickly, and seeking emergency aid.

Stroke Statistics in the United States Sometimes something we hear about everyday can become tuned out, but it’s important to know the statistics surrounding stroke. A stroke is something that everyone should research and understand, so they’ll be able to help should they notice someone showing the symptoms. Around 795,000 Americans suffer from strokes each year, averaging to about one stroke every forty seconds. As mentioned previously, a sudden stroke is the number five leading cause of death in the United States, killing on average 129,000 people a year; statistically, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes in America. Of the nearly 130,000 deaths, sixty percent are female African-Americans have almost double the risk of having a stroke than Caucasians, and an increased death rate.

Strokes are terrifying for everyone involved, and cause serious brain damage. It’s important to react quickly, stay calm, and contact emergency services in Fulton County to respond immediately. Every second counts when it comes to loss of oxygen to the brain, and without proper medical care, strokes can be deadly. Know the signs of stroke and call 9-1-1 without hesitation if the situation warrants.