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Welcome to my blog about health, nursing, caring, kindness and positive change. Our world is full of such negative influences and bad choices, today is the day to make a positive change both physically and mentally in your life.
ERNursesCare is a blog incorporating my nearly 30 years of experience in the healthcare field with my passion for helping others, I want it to encourage others with injury prevention, healthy living, hard hitting choices, hot topics and various ramblings from my unique sense of humor. Come along and enjoy your journey......

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Bullying: A serious problem

Bullying is when one child picks on another child again and again. Usually children who are being bullied are either weaker or smaller, are shy, and generally feel helpless.

Facts About Bullying
•Both girls and boys can be bullies.
•Bullies target children who cry, get mad, or easily give in to them.
•There are 3 types of bullying.
◦Physical—hitting, kicking, pushing, choking, punching
◦Verbal—threatening, taunting, teasing, hate speech ◦Social—excluding victims from activities or starting rumors about them
Bullying Happens:
•At school—in the halls, at lunch, or in the bathroom, when teachers are not there to see what is going on.
•When adults are not watching—going to and from school, on the playground, or in the neighborhood.
•Through e-mail or instant messaging—rumors are spread or nasty notes are sent.
Bullying is Different from Fighting or Teasing:
•A bully has power over another child.
•Bullies try to control other children by scaring them.
•Being picked on over and over can make your child a victim.
•Bullying usually happens when other children are watching.
Talk With Your Child About Bullying
Even if you don’t think your child is bullied, a bully, or a bystander, you will be helping to protect your child just by asking these questions:

•“How are things going at school?”
•“What do you think of the other kids in your class?”
•“Does anyone get picked on or bullied?”
When your child is bullied Talk with your child about how to stay safe. Bullies always pick on smaller or weaker children. If there is a fight, and the bully “wins,” this will only make matters worse for your child.

Help your child learn how to respond
Let’s talk about what you can do and say if this happens again.

Teach your child how to:
•Look the bully in the eye.
•Stand tall and stay calm in a difficult situation.
•Walk away.
Teach your child how to say in a firm voice:
•“I don’t like what you are doing.”
•“Please do NOT talk to me like that.”
• “Why would you say that?”
Just telling your child to do and say these things is not enough. For many children, these skills do not come naturally. It is like learning a new language—lots of practice is needed. Practice so that, in the heat of the moment, these skills will come to your child naturally.

Teach your child when and how to ask for help. Your child should not be afraid to ask an adult for help when bullying happens. Since some children are embarrassed about being bullied, parents need to let their children know that being bullied is not their fault.

Encourage your child to make friends with other children. There are many adult-supervised groups, in and out of school, that your child can join. Invite your child’s friends over to your home. Children who are loners are more likely to get picked on.
Support activities that interest your child. By participating in activities such as team sports, music groups, or social clubs, your child will develop new abilities and social skills. When children feel good about how they relate to others, they are less likely to be picked on.

Alert school officials to the problems and work with them on solutions.

•Since bullying often occurs outside the classroom, talk with the principal, guidance counselor, or playground monitors, as well as your child’s teachers. When school officials know about bullying, they can help stop it.
•Write down and report all bullying to your child’s school. By knowing when and where the bullying occurs, you and your child can better plan what to do if it happens again.
•Some children who are bullied will fear going to school, have difficulty paying attention at school, or develop symptoms like headaches or stomach pains.
When Your Child is the Bully
If you know that your child is bullying others, take it very seriously. Now is the time when you can change your child’s behavior.

In the long run, bullies continue to have problems. These problems often get worse. If the bullying behavior is allowed to continue, then when these children become adults, they are much less successful in their work and family lives and may even get in trouble with the law.

Set firm and consistent limits on your child’s aggressive behavior. Be sure your child knows that bullying is never OK.

Be a positive role model. Children need to develop new and constructive strategies for getting what they want.

Show children that they can get what they want without teasing, threatening, or hurting someone. All children can learn to treat others with respect.

Use effective, nonphysical discipline, such as loss of privileges. When your child needs discipline, explain why the behavior was wrong and how your child can change it.

Help your child understand how bullying hurts other children. Give real examples of the good and bad results of your child’s actions.

Develop practical solutions with others. Together with the school principal, teachers, counselors, and parents of the children your child has bullied, find positive ways to stop the bullying.


SourceConnected Kids: Safe, Strong, Secure (Copyright © 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics)
Article found here on the HealthyChildren.org website

For more info on bullying check these sites out:
kidshealth.org
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/bullying
Medline Plus - NIH
Stop Bullying Now website
http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/








Friday, January 15, 2010

"Safer than drugs? NOT!!


The choking game is not safer than drugs! The most common age for this fatal risk taking game is 11-16 yrs old, 87% are males. Many deaths from this are just thought to be suicides, not accidental suffocations.Causes irreversible brain damage, permanent disabilities and death. The "choking game" is an activity in which persons strangulate themselves to achieve euphoria through brief hypoxia. In simple terms: they choke themselves, cutting off the blood(that carries the oxygen) from the heart to the brain, thus passing out or near passing out. As they let go or unloosen the stangulation all the blood that has pooled rushes back up to give that person a "warm and fuzzy feeling". What happens when the warm and fuzzy feeling goes wrong and you pass out with whatever tied around your neck? You do not wake up, you die!!! If you, your child or your friends think this is fun and safer than drugs, better leave your obituary written out so your family can find it when you are gone. If you want a "warm and fuzzy feeling"  I will gladly get you a kitten or a puppy ;), they are warm and fuzzy, but alot less dangerous.

Thank you to the GASP Association for this great video, and thank you to Carrie at Ed4Ed on You Tube for making sure this was on You Tube for all to view.

~~~Leslie~~~
crazy ER nurse and not a fan of the Space Monkey

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Playing the "Choking Game"?




I hope your answer to the above question is NO!!
This is not just a stupid kids game? This is a fatal choice to many children and teens, what choice will you make...Life or Death?
The choking game is a dangerous activity that older children and early adolescents sometimes play to get a brief high. They either choke each other or use a noose to choke themselves. After just a short time, children can pass out, which may lead to serious injury or even death from hanging or strangulation.

Since 1995, at least 82 children and adolescents have died as a result of playing "the choking game," according to a new study by CDC's Injury Center. Researchers analyzed media reports of deaths of children and adolescents from the choking game. Highlights from their findings address some common questions about this public health threat.

What is the choking game?

The choking game is a dangerous activity that older children and early adolescents sometimes play to get a brief high. They either choke each other or use a noose to choke themselves. After just a short time, children can pass out, which may lead to serious injury or even death from hanging or strangulation.

Who is most at risk for death from playing the choking game?

• Boys were much more likely to die from the choking game than girls; 87% of victims were boys.
• Most of the children that died were 11-16 years old (89%).
• Nearly all of the children who died were playing the game alone when they died.
• Deaths have occurred all over the United States; the choking game isn't limited to one area of the country.
What are the warning signs that a child is playing the choking game?

Parents, educators, health-care providers, or peers may observe any of the following signs that can indicate a child has been involved in the choking game:
• Discussion of the game or its aliases
• Bloodshot eyes
• Marks on the neck
• Wearing high-necked shirts, even in warm weather
• Frequent, severe headaches
• Disorientation after spending time alone
• Increased and uncharacteristic irritability or hostility
• Ropes, scarves, and belts tied to bedroom furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor
• The unexplained presence of dog leashes, choke collars, bungee cords, etc.
• Petechiae (pinpoint bleeding spots) under the skin of the face, especially the eyelids, or the conjunctiva (the lining of the eyelids and eyes)

What are some of the other names used for the choking game?

• Pass-out game
• Space monkey
• Suffocation roulette
• Scarf game
• The American dream
• Fainting game
• Something dreaming game
• Purple hazing
• Blacking out/blackout
• Dream game
• Flat liner
• California choke
• Space cowboy
• Airplaning
• Purple dragon
• Cloud nine

How quickly can someone die after playing the choking game?
Someone can become unconscious in a matter of seconds. Within three minutes of continued strangulation (i.e., hanging), basic functions such as memory, balance, and the central nervous system start to fail. Death occurs shortly after.

Are there non-fatal, long-term consequences of the choking game?
• Loss of consciousness and death of brain cells due to oxygen deprivation in the brain; coma and seizures may occur in severe cases
• Concussions or broken bones (including jaws) from falls associated with the choking game
• Hemorrhages of the eye

How can the choking game be prevented?
Research is not available on the best strateges to prevent the choking game. However, parents, educators, and health-care providers should be made aware of this public health threat and the warning signs that adolescents may be playing the game.
(above information copied from the CDC website)


More Information :

Unintentional Strangulation Deaths Among Children and Adolescents: The "Choking Game" – United States, 1995-2007  CDC link
 CDC feature "the choking game"
The Choking Game Can Be Deadly--  deadly choking game
 For Kevins Sake- a fatal victim
GASP website
Youtube video about Choking Game


Be educated and Be Safe~~~ Leslie~~~

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