One of the most common injuries that happen in the home spans all of the age boxes on the home security statistics list.
From the very youngest to the very oldest of our family members, falls cause some of the most severe, and sometimes fatal, injuries that happen in the home.
There are lots of great ways to prevent falls, like working in pairs when doing house or lawn work, installing handrails, safety gates, and carpeting floors.
However, the fact of the matter is that children play, run, and jump both in the house and outside in the lawn.
Sooner or later, every child is bound to have an incident where a fall happens.
Whether the fall is serious or not, many parents make the mistake of poorly analyzing the condition of the child post-fall.
Some parents rush kids off to the Emergency Room for every little scrape, while others unknowingly let children suffer internal injury for days until more serious symptoms occur.
There is no way to make home security so tight that a child never suffers a fall, bump, scrape or bruise, but there are ways to make sure a child stays healthy and safe afterward.
For an injury to be severe enough that a parent must call emergency services or 911, there are several guidelines to follow.
Should the child have a seriously injured head, neck, back, hipbone, or thighs, it is often best not to move the child.
An accidental twist or turn of the child's body, as well as the jolting motion of driving to a hospital or being carried may make the difference between full recovery and permanent injury.
If the child is unconscious, having trouble breathing, is not breathing, or is having a seizure, the parent must immediately dial 911, and listen to the operators instructions, which may include CPR.
Any parent who has not take a recent safety or first aid course including emergency resuscitation should strongly consider brushing up on their skills.
There will never be an occasion where knowing how to respond in an emergency situation will be a bad thing.
If there is a home security system installed in the home with customer care, it may be possible for an operator to help walk you through emergency procedures as well.
If the child is not as severe as any of the aforementioned symptoms, the parents should begin by calming and comforting the child, and visually inspecting for any injuries.
Bumps and bruises should receive a cool compress or ice pack, while mild to medium pain may be treated with a child-approved pain killer.
Later the child should rest, and should be observed constantly, at least once an hour, even through the night to observe for sudden changes or a sudden worsening of symptoms.
Should the child become very sleep and impossible to wake up, or easily annoyed or upset it may be a sign there is more serious damage.
If the child begins vomiting, and this repeats more than 2 or 3 times, the parent should seek medical attention for the child.
If the child complains that the pain is increasing, parents should seek emergency assistance, especially if the pain is in the head, neck or back.
Other physical signs which the parent will have to observe include not walking or moving normally, and having trouble focusing his or her eyes.
Home security and safety measures must be accompanied by smart parenting and planning ahead.
Children and infants should never be left on furniture, including the bed, unsupervised.
When possible, small children should always be strapped into buggies, shopping carts, strollers, changing tables and high chairs as it only takes a second for a fall to happen.
If kids are old enough to be skating, biking, or using skateboards, they should have protective gear including a helmet.