Hello, my name is Simon. I am a 59-year-old man who lives alone in downtown Perth. I am pleased to say that I have never had to spend a night in a hospital. This is because I know how to take care of myself. When I was growing up my grandpa often used to tell me that if you eat well and exercise, you will live a long life. He died aged 95, so he must have known something. However, it was only when I became friends with a doctor, that I discovered all the other things I could do to stay healthy. I decided to start this blog to encourage others to look after their health.
If you enjoy going on hikes in the wilderness, where it is not always possible to gain quick access to emergency medical services, then you'll want to follow the safety advice offered here:
Find a first aid course that covers outdoor emergencies that you are likely to experience during hiking trips
If you have this hobby, it is crucial to invest in a first aid course, as a course like this will equip you with the information and skills that could save your hiking companions' lives -- or even your own -- if anyone gets injured on a hiking trip and needs emergency care. However, when looking at the first aid courses that are available, you should not pick a course at random. Instead, it would be better to find one that teaches the students how to handle the type of outdoor emergencies that you would be most likely to experience during a hiking trip.
For example, it's quite common for hikers to stumble and sprain or fracture their ankles or feet, due to the uneven and rocky terrain that they walk across. As such, you should ensure that the first aid course you pick provides guidance on how to treat these injuries in an outdoor environment, where you might not have access to a huge amount of medical supplies other than the items in the first aid kit you take on your trips. Choosing the right kind of course that offers insight into how to handle hiking-related injuries will ensure that it provides you with value for money by teaching you skills that you will find genuinely useful and can avail of if things go awry on your hiking excursions in the future.
Invite the people you frequently hike with to attend the first aid course
If there are specific people that you hike with regularly, such as your spouse or a close friend, then you should invite them to come along with you when you start a first aid course -- you could even pay for them to take this course, if you're feeling generous.
The reason for this is as follows: whilst it is important to arm yourself with knowledge about how to act in hiking-related emergencies, this knowledge might not be enough to keep you safe if you're the only one who has access to it, and you end up sustaining a serious hiking injury. For example, if you fall whilst walking on rocky terrain, hit your head on a sharp rock and lose consciousness because of this, you won't be able to guide your hiking companion through the process of performing first aid on you. In a scenario like this, your companion's level of first aid expertise could determine how serious an impact your head injury has on your long-term health.
For more information, look for first aid courses available in your area.
Share3 November 2019
