First aid course has kids in focus

A BABY and child first-aid course is scheduled to be delivered to parents and carers in Golden Plains Shire next month.

The three-and-a-half-hour session will be led by PAEDS Education, and co-founder Sarah Duncanson said it’s been designed to support adults in managing injuries and illnesses kids may have.

PAEDS Education facilitators are rurally based mums who come from a hospital-based paediatric nursing backgrounds and are set to address “all the essentials.”

“We’ll cover everything from fractures, to bites and stings, poisons management, choking, burns, CPR,” she said.

“Because we’re nurses, we have a huge focus on recognising red flags for serious illness in children and understanding when a child is deteriorating, then where to go to access health care services, and how to get there.

“We do anaphylaxis and asthma training, teach parents and carers how to use EpiPens, Ventolin and spacers, and do CPR training on mannequins.

“It’s interactive, informative, there’s have lots of practical opportunities, hands-on demonstrations, and time to ask questions.”

Ms Duncanson said not a day goes by where her PAEDS staff don’t receive feedback from a parent or carer who has had to manage an injury, illness, or accident at home.

“They might have had to manage choking at home and have sent in a thank you,” she said. “If they hadn’t have done the course, they say they wouldn’t have known what to do.

“These things happen in a blink of an eye, parents are first on the scene, and have to know what to do to manage those pre-hospital accidents and emergencies.

“During COVID, it was particularly pertinent as accessing face-to-face health care services was really hard.”

All the skills participants learn are things Ms Duncanson said are applicable for all ages.

“They’re not just learning for babies, but for the child’s lifespan, because they can be transferable to the adult population as well,” she said.

The course is set for the Bannockburn Cultural Centre on 5 October from 6pm and visit bit.ly/45G97uY to register.