First Aid - Holiday Hints

School holidays are fast approaching. It’s a time when, not only Scouts, but parents too, need to be well prepared.

Even in the most organised households there are certain to be some distracted moments and the possibility of minor accidents around the home. The backyard barbecue, a picnic on the beach, or over-enthusiastic New Year celebrations are all occasions when the ice pack and the antiseptic should be close at hand. So now is the time to make sure your first aid kit is well stocked and also that you know exactly how to use the contents.

Pharmacies around Australia that provide Pharmacy Self Care health information have available a great card calledFirst Aid in the Home. It lists all the essential items for your first aid kit, and it suggests other products that could be useful, depending on whether your first aid kit will be kept at home, in the car or maybe needs to be extra portable for sporting or leisure activities.

There are good ready-prepared first aid kits such as those provided by St. John Ambulance or Handyplast or with the help of your pharmacist you can prepare one for yourself to meet your own particular needs.

The first requirement of a first aid kit is probably the box of dressing strips. If you’ve had trouble with your first aid dressing strips being too sticky (peeling off several layers of skin when you remove them) or not sticky enough (falling off at the first drop of perspiration), then these problems should be a thing of the past. The new generation "Handy" waterproof and bacteria-proof first aid strips will stay stuck on in just about every situation, but they are gentle to the skin when you want to get them off.

For grazes or abrasions larger than the accidental scratch, hypo-allergenic waterproof dressings are ideal.

Other basics include bandages, scissors, tweezers, safety pins or bandage clips, saline solution to wash the wounds clean and saline eye wash as well. Something to take the sting out of insect bites and an all purpose antiseptic also come in handy. Solugel is an excellent treatment when dressing burns and scalds.

Generally speaking, it is best to buy small packs of whatever is needed and replace them after use or when they go out of date.

If you are going to be away from home during the holidays be sure to take adequate first aid supplies for whatever trip or activity you are planning, whether it be a simple day at the beach, a bushwalk or an extended overseas excursion. Of course, a good broad spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen is an essential component of any travel kit so sunburn doesn’t ruin your holiday.

If overseas travel is on your agenda, make sure you stock up on your prescription medicines. Having them dispensed while away may not be so easy. Even so, it’s a good idea to take a copy of your prescription form with you. You can at least confirm what you’re carrying for those occasionally inquisitive customs personnel.