Ways to save your OWN LIFE

WHAT would you do if you fell, felt a crushing pain in your chest or started to choke when you were on your own? It’s a terrifying prospect for many older people who live alone.

More than two million people aged 75 and over live alone in the UK — an increase of nearly a quarter in the past 20 years.

Here we show you the most effective ways you can help yourself if you find yourself alone in an emergency situation.

IF YOU’VE FALLEN

Lie still for a few minutes and check that you are not injured. Starting with your feet, work systematically up your body, moving your limbs to check for pain or bleeding.

If you feel able to get up, do so slowly. Roll gently on to your hands and knees and look for a solid piece of furniture such as a chair or bed that won’t move when you lean on it.

Crawl or manoeuvre your way to the furniture, taking time to rest if you need it.

Holding the furniture with both hands, kneel with your weight evenly distributed on each knee.

Bend up one leg and plant your foot firmly on the ground. Grip the furniture firmly and push yourself up. Take your time.

Remain supported with your head forward until you are sure you have got your balance. Carefully push up to a standing position.

Take time to rest and then contact someone to tell them what has happened. Call 999/112 for emergency help, if necessary. If you are unable to get up, bang on the floor or wall to attract a neighbour. If you have your phone close by, press the emergency call button.

Do not exhaust yourself calling for help. Try to remain calm and cover up with something warm. Get as comfortable as possible and shift your weight frequently to prevent pressure sores.

IF YOU’RE BLEEDING

Depending on where the wound is, blood could be gushing out at speed, so you must act quickly to stop excessive blood loss and unresponsiveness. Grip the wound as firmly as you can with any clean towel or large cloth you find nearby.

Apply pressure directly to the wound and raise it to at least the level of the heart, or above, to reduce the blood flow to the affected area.

If your leg is bleeding, lie down and lift it above the heart. This may help the blood flow back to the core. This reduces how much of it reaches the wound, which in turn reduces the amount of bleeding.

The majority of severe bleeds can be dealt with effectively using pressure to stop or slow down the flow of blood until emergency help arrives.

As a general rule, whether you are hurt or tending someone else who is, do not try to apply a tourniquet to stop bleeding.

Never try to remove anything that is embedded in a wound because it

could be forming a plug, so removing it could make the bleeding worse. Wait until you get to A&E, where it will be removed in a sterile environment and the wound can be treated properly. IF YOU’RE CHOKING

Coughing as vigorously as you can should work in most cases.

Bending over with your head down should help move a lodged item.

You can also try to perform a version of abdominal thrusts on yourself, or pressure to the abdomen to force a lodged object up and out of your throat. Make a fist with one hand and place it just above your

belly button. Place the other hand on top for support and push hard, in short, sharp thrusts. Try up to five of these. ‘When people are choking, they may not have the physical strength in their arms to perform abdominal thrusts and there are anecdotes of people dislodging the item by doing these on the back of a chair,’ says Alan Weir, head of clinical operations at St John Ambulance. This may not be easy in the heat of the moment and you should always seek medical help after using these techniques, in case you have caused internal damage or bruising.

FOR HEART PROBLEMS

If you feel a central, crushing heart pain, the first step after calling an ambulance is to chew an aspirin — this works faster than if you swallow one whole. Aspirin slows the blood’s clotting mechanism, so will prevent any clots that have already formed from getting bigger.

Lie down with your head and shoulders slightly raised. This is usually the most comfortable position and avoids extra work for your ailing heart, says Alan Weir.

While you wait for proper medical care, try to take deep breaths — it’s thought that this can help get oxygen into the lungs more efficiently and keep blood circulating normally.

If you’ve already been diagnosed with angina, you may also have a nitroglycerin spray or tablet — apply this under the tongue. This acts as a vasodilator, opening up blood vessels to improve blood flow and can possibly reduce some of the symptoms.

If you have previously been diagnosed with a tachycardia syndrome (an abnormally high heart rate) and you experience palpitations with chest pain, then you may also benefit from performing the Valsalva manoeuvre. This involves pinching the nose and closing the mouth, then trying to blow out — similar to trying to unblock your ears on a flight. Blowing against resistance may make the heart rate decline — so this could slow a racing heartbeat.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If you feel faint, do not put your head between your knees. This position will mean you fall directly on to your head if you do end up fainting, which could cause a more serious injury or concussion. Instead, lie on the ground and raise your legs to redirect blood flow up your body to your brain. You should feel better straight away because fainting is usually due to reduced blood flow to the brain. If you think you have taken too much medication or accidentally swallowed something harmful, don’t drink large quantities of water in an attempt to flush it out of your system. Also do not try to be sick. Instead, take a note of what was taken and when, and call 999 or 112 to seek urgent medical aid.