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I had to do it for a year, because I refused the military service. If you do not do military you have to do 12 months of civil service, like working in a nursing home, ambulance, kindergarden for handicapped children.
It's highly underpaid work (~30-50h/week for ~225 pounds, without free food, they raised it to 315 something pounds now tho), but a lot of public things like ambulance would not work without civil servants.
I'm studying right now and it's not a job I could do for a life time.
@shyboy:
Like already said, the simple things are the most important. You did the right thing with your dad and his seizure. Just watch that he does not hurt himself by 'seizuring' (like smashing his head into something). Some people teach to apply a lockjaw so he does not bite his tongue off, but others say that's really unlikely and makes you viable to be bitten very hard yourself. That's the advanced stuff that's not really important. The first things that come to mind are usually the best.
other example: if someone has a stroke, bring them to the ambulance ASAP. Every minute of not getting meds (that expand the bloodvessels in the brain) equals dead brain tissue. There are nifty tricks how you can easily figure out if someone has a stroke (neuro-check), but really: fuck them. you do not need them. You need to know how to make an emergency call and that's the best thing you can do (as many injuries and traumas are time dependent: the more time without help, the worse it gets).
the most important thing you learn as a paramedic is, just stepping into the scene and help. And the best stuff is usually:
- calm him down (fear makes a lot of things worse, i.e. an heart attack, because of increases pulse, blood pressure and release of hormones. Pseudo-measures are something really cool too. You do something like asking questions to the person or do "checks" on the person that serve no purpose, just so the person feels safe, because there is someone who knows "stuff"),
- call the ambulance
sorry for the epic derails, but I think it's justified if you teach a few important lessons
My dad once fainted on me which was pretty horrible, he started groaning. He cut his finger pretty badly and he doesn't like blood.
With seizures there isn't anything you can do except let it end. Just move everything out of their way so that they can't hit anything and then just make sure everything is alright, maybe if they start banging their head on the floor place a pillow underneath but other than that just wait for it to finish. Then once it is over check the airways and put them in the recovery position until they feel a little better. Of course, if it is serious and they aren't breathing then call 999.
Similar :rolleyes: Around this time last year, I woke up to screaming in my street - a young girl was being beat up by her stepfather in the street, and I without even thinking about it grabbed my mobile, dialled 999 as I ran and went out to her. I could of got hurt, but luckily I got her into my house and kept her away from the door he was trying to kick in while the police were on their way.
It was a stupid idea at the time - and the amount of people who've told me how stupid I am is never ending - It'd be a stupid idea now, because I could quite easily of got hurt. And as much as I know its daft, especially being a young woman living on my own, I know I'd do it again.
I think if you can do anything at all to help even from a distance - even if its just dial 999, tell them whats happening then move on - then you should. I'd never say someone should put themselves in danger for a stranger, unless like me it doesn't occur to you - then its your own fault, I'll admit that. I got lucky that I wasnt (badly - I don't count where h shoved me over really) hurt, and I had a genuinely grateful girl, she had been convinced she was going to die. But unfortunately it doesn't always work like that.