Recently, and as part of the requirement for the new job I started back in October, I received training to be an instructor in CPR and First Aid. Today and tomorrow are my first times to actually have to put that training into action by teaching more than one person at a time. Interestingly enough, I had a personal experience to relate to them from the very start with the section that discusses reasons that people tend to be reluctant to help or step in during an emergency situation. At the bowling alley on Saturday night, a woman slipped on the freshly waxed lanes and hit her head on the hard wood floor. Immediately, several people in the group she was playing with surrounded her to help, so my fiance and I both stayed back, thinking they had it in hand. Then, they began to try and help her up, which we knew from our training in the past, was not a good idea with a possible serious head or neck injury, so we stepped in, although still cautiously, to advice them to have her stay down on the ground until help could arrive. The bowling attendant appeared a little scared and since I knew him personally, I wanted to see if he was doing okay and needed any further help. I asked if he had called 911, and he hadn't yet, so we made sure he did that, and then kept a watch on the lady. He got her some ice wrapped in a towel for her head and pretty soon, she seemed to be drifting off into sleep, so once again, as bystanders, we were concerned, because if she had a concussion, you don't want her to go to sleep like that. We encouraged her to stay awake, and within minutes, the EMS personnel had arrived to take care of the rest. By the way, I did see her out walking a couple of days later, and we chatted. She's okay, which was my concern, and I was glad to be able to touch base with her and know that. She thanked me for my help, but I really didn't feel like I did anything much and certainly not as much as I could have done if I hadn't been a little scared for her myself.
Unfortunately and surprising to me, I held myself back out of fear that I would do something wrong or that I wasn't making the right decisions in regard to her care. There were also lots of other people around, and I began to make the assumption that they must know what to do, so I stayed back a little longer rather than stepping up right away. Knowing now that I have that fear, I hope that I will be able to overcome it next time. Nobody is going to make all the right decisions all the time, but some help is better than no help or even possibly untrained help. Her reaction to me afterwards also encouraged me to step up more fully and immediately next time because in the end, early intervention and help from even a layperson like me, can make all the difference in saving a life in an emergency situation!
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