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June 2014 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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Summer
Health
& Safety Issues
By Jamie Lober, Staff Writer
It is easy to look forward to the
good times of summer, but it is
important that you do not forget
to take some basic precautions to
ensure that you are healthy and safe.
While some information may sound
like common sense, our community could benefit from a few extra
reminders. “Do not leave your kid in
a hot car because last year nationally
there were almost a quarter more
deaths than the year before,” says Dr.
Susan Pollack, preventative medicine
and environmental health physician
with UK Healthcare. There were 43
deaths reported nationally — a huge
increase. Luckily, in Kentucky, there
were none, something Pollack attributes to “people educating families
never to leave their child in a car
alone and to call 911 if they see a
child.”
It can be hard to understand
how someone might forget a child
but it does happen. “There may be
something different in your daily
routine and your child could go to
sleep in the backseat and you may
forget them,” says Pollack. Parents
may take kids for a drive when they
do errands, planning to leave them
in the car, but the weather can be
deceiving. “You think it is cool
outside and not a big deal, but even
with windows cracked it is much
hotter than it would be outside with
a breeze.”
Dr. Pollack reminds people to
be proactive and let others know
what they can do: “These are
opportunities for prevention. The
message from my point of view is
that the number one cause of death
in Kentucky is injury and most of
those deaths can be prevented.” It all
comes down to empowering parents.
“There is so much you cannot prevent for your kids but this is something you can do.”
Drowning is another big risk,
especially in May when people start
opening their swimming pools.
Again, take measures to protect
yourself. “You need 4-sided fencing for your pool because 3-sided
does a great job of protecting your
neighbors but your own child can
walk out of the house and fall in the
pool,” says Pollack. There are a lot
of above-ground pools in Lexington
but if you take away the ladders it
is harder for kids to fall in so don’t
leave ladders lying around.
Keep an eye out at all times.
Pollack says, “Always supervise kids
in water because kids love water
even when they cannot swim. Wear
a lifejacket when you go boating and
teach your child to swim after they
are four or five years old.”
Be especially wary of other
drowning risks: “When it rains a
lot and the creeks come up, kids get
swept away,” says Pollack.
It is still possible to spend time
outdoors and be safe, as long as
precautions are taken. For instance,
make sure your child wears a helmet
if they are riding a bike, scooter,
skateboard, or rollerblades. Start
forming the good habit when your
child is young. “It is much easier to
get a toddler to get used to wearing
a helmet than trying to start later,”
advises Pollack. Remember also that
most small children do not really
understand traffic. They may be in
harm’s way and not realize it. Kids
should ride on the sidewalk.
Take charge as a parent whether
it means putting sunscreen on your
child or holding his hand when you
are walking to