July 16, 2025 • 15 mins
Summertime in Georgia means fun in the water—but it also brings serious safety concerns. Pediatric experts Dr. Elizabeth Reece and Jennifer Rubner, PNP, share life-saving insights on how to keep kids safe around pools, lakes, and boats.
Drowning is often silent, not dramatic. That’s why constant, undistracted supervision is critical—even for strong swimmers. The conversation covers surprising statistics, such as teens being the second-highest risk group, and offers practical tips, including bright swimwear, secure pool fencing, and clear safety rules.
Natural water adds hidden dangers like currents and submerged objects. Life jackets are essential, no matter your child’s swimming ability. As Dr. Reese shares, even confident swimmers can struggle in real conditions.
Tune in for expert advice that could save lives—and visit medlinkga.org for more family safety resources.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Today we're joined by Dr Elizabeth Reese, a
pediatrician, and JenniferRubner, a certified pediatric
nurse practitioner, both fromour Banks and Danielsville
offices.
Together, they'll be sharingvaluable insights on water and
swimming pool safety.
Stay tuned for expert adviceyou won't want to miss.
For expert advice you won'twant to miss.
(00:27):
Summer's coming up, it'sGeorgia weather, so it's gonna
be hot and humid and everybodywants to hop in the pool, hop in
the lake, go swimming, maybeeven the creek.
That's your thing, not mine.
I'm good with the pool.
I like to see literallyeverything.
What are some of your bestadvice to give to parents while
watching their children thissummer?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
First of all, we unfortunately having to give
this talk every year is becauseand I'm afraid every family
might have a tragic story ofsomeone that they know, a family
member, a friend, that has hada tragic outcome with a child as
far as water safety goes.
So we do repeat this every year, but in just in knowing that
(01:11):
many, in many instances thesetragic accidents can be avoided
and that's really our goal withthis is to be as proactive as
possible so that we aren't, youknow, having these terrible
consequences.
When we talk about swimmingpools, we have just some very
when you decide to get a pool inyour family, we'd like you to
(01:31):
always think that these wouldjust be hard and fast rules with
your kids that can never bebroken.
So you want to explain to yourkids why these rules are in
place and then be just religiousabout making sure that the kids
are following it.
And if you are following it andyou make all your children and
their friends follow that,there's just never going to be,
you know, a lag in doing that.
(01:52):
That will explain to them orshow them how important these
rules are.
So, really, the first is justthat an adult who can swim
should always be present whenkids are in or around a pool.
If you have to leave the areafor any amount of time, even if
you think it's just to run in tograb an extra towel, the kids
(02:13):
have to be out of the pool andout of the surrounding area.
If you have anybody, that'ssmall, because it's just the
nature of the beast that theymight decide I can't get in,
they're going to be right backagain and that sometimes in
those few seconds is where theycan get into trouble.
For infants and toddlers, weactually suggest that the adults
should be in the pool withinarm's reach.
Because of them being small,they could take water in and go
(02:37):
under so quickly.
So being within reach so thatyou can scoop them out of
trouble if they look likethey're going to be underneath
the water.
For older kids, you know ifyou're out of the pool and on
the pool deck, but you need tobe paying attention and free
from distractions.
So just being careful, becausewe all kind of fall into that
habit sometimes when we'relooking at our phone or
(02:59):
answering messages or working onwork things that we have, and
again, just that small bit oftime can be all that it takes
for there to be a tragicaccident.
After pool rules, we know thatanyone who puts in a pool will
suggest that they have a fenceat least four foot high with no
footholds or handholds, thatkids could climb into it and no
(03:23):
more than four inches betweenvertical slats so that they
can't put a hand in and be ableto open the gate.
That they have self-closing andself-latching gates and if you
are concerned about anyonecoming into the pool when you're
not there, that that you makesure that that can be locked and
that you also remove anyladders for above ground pools,
that they couldn't access thatladder and then get into the
(03:45):
pool and just have it be yourrule that after every use that
everything is locked up andtidied and just the kids kind of
get used to you going aroundand making sure that that's all
done, nothing where anybodycould climb in or get into the
pool.
Make sure that when they're inthe pool that they aren't
running on pool decks wherethings can be slippery.
(04:06):
That's something they alwayshave that at public pools, but
that's just a common sensesafety and not diving in pools
that aren't deep enough so thatwe can avoid any injury from
that.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I could see how valuable and important this
information is because,especially like I know my niece
and nephew my nephew hasdefinitely gone to get in the
water and then he's like wait, Ican't swim.
And then you're like we know.
And then you're like runningtowards him and he's just like
almost under and you're like no,no, like it's so funny how kids
just like don't even think forsometimes just that brief second
(04:40):
.
They're like you know what I'mjust going to get in.
And then they're like wait, Ican't swim.
And that's when the panic kindof sets in and it's so easy to
kind of even forget thatyourself, like because I know
how to swim and I don't have tothink about getting in the water
and worrying about drowningbecause I know how to swim.
But even that it's just kind oflike a mindless task.
(05:03):
So, especially with kids, likethey're getting in the water
with you.
When you're not in there,they're still just kind of doing
that mindless task of gettingin the water and then you're
like what?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I can tell you two instances where we have had a
pool at our house and beforethat and our kids had swim
lessons.
And even even with swim lessons, I would always say you still
can't go in without us, becauseyou know that anything can
happen when you're in there butand don't have a buddy that's in
with.
So an adult had to be there.
But several times that adultstold me their children could
swim, and because I knew ourkids had taken swim lessons to.
(05:36):
To me the definition of thatmeans you can stay afloat in the
pool, be able to get over tothe side and their kids were
sinking like stones and I jumpedinto the pool and pulled out
two kids and thought, well,that's not the definition.
Swimming is not sinking.
So you, really, I, I, you know.
Then I got more vigilant aboutasking what you know, how how
much have they swum?
So that we made sure that they,they were okay to go in there
(05:59):
yeah, you're right, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
And when I was younger I took swimming lessons
but I was so scared of the deepend that my instructor was like
it's okay, we don't have to,we'll, we'll tackle that next
summer.
And then.
So I knew how to swim, but Ididn't know how to swim in the
deep or just keep myself afloat.
So, yeah, that's definitely agood thing to always clarify is
(06:22):
like what do you mean byswimming?
Because you can swim in theshallow but you're able to touch
.
So when that panic sits in, youtouch the ground and you're
fine, but when you're in thedeep end it's a little different
.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
And swim lessons aren't really drown-proofing.
Because drown proofing?
Because a child, even ifthey're a good swimmer, they
could hit their head.
They can be entrapped.
We had an instance wheresomeone was entrapped under a
pool cover like got in when theyweren't supposed to.
And then that heavy that islike almost impossible for an
adult to lift off of them sothey can drown because of that.
So there's just all sorts ofthings that can combine an
accident with water.
And kids are top heavy whenthey're toddlers, so if they
(07:02):
fall, they you know as they fallin head first, and a lot of
times if they strike somethingwith their head, then that adds
one more layer of making itharder to keep them safe.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
And there's always that misconception that you know
drowning is going to look likeit does in, like a movie, where
there's like waving andscreaming and splashing and
they're going to make all thisnoise and it's mostly virtually
silent.
The kid is just sinking.
And so you know, making it ahabit to look at the pool and do
(07:33):
a sweep of where the kids arelooking at the bottom, do a
sweep of where the kids arelooking at the bottom.
There's a reason that when yougo to these public pools or
indoor pool grounds that theyget up every so many minutes,
make everyone get out and do avisualization of the bottom of
the pool.
And that's because you're notgoing to see necessarily a big
(07:54):
ordeal of a kid drowning,they're just going to sink.
And so people still have thatmisconception that oh yeah,
they'll flail and I'll see it.
You won't actually.
And so having that, you know,almost doing that, that sweeping
of the pool with your eyes toknow where everyone is, is a
good habit to get into.
Um, because you never knowwhere somebody might actually
(08:15):
end up.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
And then we did a thing where, if there were
multiple kids and you as aparent weren't sure that you
could keep head counts oneverybody, you might number the
kids and then one parent isresponsible for one through four
and the other will watch fivethrough eight, because you want
to keep an eye on everyone, justlike Jen said, and it's so
important.
And also if a parent knows thatthey have to run to the
(08:37):
restroom or they're going to getsomething to drink, that they
kind of tag out to a friend andsay, okay, now I need you to
watch one through four and ifeverybody has that talk to make
sure that everybody's kept safeand then it can be a really fun
environment.
But it's it's almost stressful.
When I would have family over,I would just always be.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I never really got in the pool because I'd sit out
and watch and navigate.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
The other thing.
I read this online and was likethis is a very good idea.
If you know, your pool liner isa blue color, get your kids a
different color than the colorthat the pool liner is, because
then they actually can stand outand relief a little bit more
and they'll kind of blend intothe pool liner.
If they were down on the bottomand you wouldn't notice and
you've probably read thingsabout how sometimes the suction
(09:17):
that's down at the bottom that'srecirculating the water in your
pool on a small child, thatcan't.
They can get caught in that andthen their hair can get
entrapped or their suit can getentrapped and then that can lead
to drowning.
So having something that's gota different color is helpful for
it as well, for that visualthat's a really good idea.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
I hadn't read that.
Yeah, saw I've seen a couplethings of people with summer
coming up testing differentcolor bathing suits in the water
, Cause even the water'stypically kind of that blue,
even the liner, but you're likein the Turks and Caicos, that
water's really blue as well andyou kind of get that same effect
.
So they were like this is whata neon green bathing suit looks
(09:57):
like and how you can see itbetter than other colors and
things like that.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
And then we'll talk about water safety as well, just
in other water environments inaddition to swimming pools,
because, like you say, inGeorgia, a lot of us will swim
in lakes or, you know, we'll goboating or kayaking, canoeing.
You know, we've got so manygreat water areas around here.
Be aware of, especially if yourkids are older and they're
(10:29):
going off with friends topartake in any kind of water
sport is that childhood drowningrisk can decrease after age
four, because you think about itfrom toddler age to about age
four, but it will go up again inthe teen years.
So the adolescents that are 15to 19 years old have the second
highest fatal drowning riskafter toddlers that are 12 to 36
months, so one to three yearolds, and then again at 15 to 19
(10:51):
years.
And partly is that they canoverestimate the skills that
they have in swimming.
Maybe they don't want to beembarrassed when they get
invited out, and so they oh, I'mnot gonna wear my life jacket,
because no one's wearing a lifejacket, I'll look like a nerd.
So they don't want to weartheir life jacket and so they'll
put themselves in moredangerous situations because
they don't want to do that, orthey'll just kind of assume that
they can swim, like youmentioned with your knees and
(11:13):
neck.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
They just assume.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Everybody else is doing that.
I must know how to do that, andthen they can't, and sometimes,
if they overestimate theirskills, they underestimate how
dangerous the situation can be.
If there's somewhere wherethere's a current or you know
something that could affect howthey canoe, or if they're you
know, going through that, theycould get entrapped in a
situation.
The other would be just theconcern that, too, that this is
(11:35):
a time when they'reexperimenting with things and if
they're using any alcohol atall, that that's going to dull
their reflexes and it's going to, you know, give them confidence
that maybe they shouldn't haveand make that more unsafe for
them to be in and around water Iknow with lakes in this area at
least, I'm sure everywhere younever know what's under that
(11:55):
water.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Sometimes there's a whole tree under there and you
have no idea and then all of asudden your bathing suit's
caught and you're stuck underwith it.
Yes, so definitely say,watching for lakes and all those
waters where you can't reallysee the bottom is really crucial
.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I feel like right, right, part of that swimming in
a pool with strong swimmingskills is very different than
swimming with a current orsomething that can tug you under
.
And having strong swimmingskills are very, very different
things.
Um, because you, because youknow there's lots of incidences
we hear it every year with LakeLanier, um, you know where, you
know there's just there's somuch under the water there, um,
(12:36):
that people get caught on.
So doing that, that diving forthings um deeper than you know
you should, um not a good idea.
Um, you know just especially inthose areas that um, you know,
just especially in those areasthat you know um, those lakes
were were man-made or you know,go ahead and assume that they
were man-made and that there'ssomething under there.
There's a tree, there's a town,there's, you know, an old boat
(12:58):
tire, an old boat anchor,anything that you can get caught
on and and those are very hardto get um yourself free from,
even if you are a strong swimmerand older.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
And then also just making sure to enter the water
feet first, because we seespinal cord accidents that can
happen because of diving inplaces where it was shallower
than you assumed or you hit,like you said, any of these
underground things or underwaterthings that you didn't know
were there.
And then also just making surewhen they're boating um, not
(13:27):
drinking with boating.
And then making sure thatpeople do wear their life vests,
because it makes a bigdifference if you get thrown out
of the boat, um, if you're nota strong swimmer but you've got
your life vest with you, they'llhave time to circle around and
get you where you can get into alot of trouble if it takes a
while for them to turn around.
In a busy lake, you also havemore chance of being seen by
other boaters if your head ishigh above the water.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well, and that's also good advice too, not just for
boating.
But they like to go out on theindividual jet skis or the
double jet skis and so they'reout and having and water safety.
They're out having fun on theirjet skis, you know but that you
still need to be in a vest,because it's the same thing.
You know you turn really fast,they get going really fast,
(14:10):
you're going to get thrown.
What if you get thrown in theway of a path?
What if you get thrown in anarea where no one's going to see
you for a little bit and thenyou're relying on?
You know either you floating orswimming for a long time.
You know like that's not thetime to be showing off and being
cool to your friends.
If you want to ride the jet ski, you need to put the life
jacket on and be safe.
You know, like that, that's whenyou're going to have fun is to
(14:31):
be safe.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
And parents.
We can set this up if we justmake it just a matter of it's
just what we do every time thatwe go in the water, if you make
it the expectation and explainto them that if they don't
follow the rules, they can't goin, then that will just takes
out any sort of negotiating thatyou have to do with them every
time you go out on the water.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Thank you for tuning in to the MedLink Health
Connections podcast.
We hope you found today'sepisode informative and
inspiring.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasesubscribe, rate and leave a
review on your favorite podcastplatform.
Remember the information sharedin this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not replace professional
medical advice.
Always consult with yourhealthcare provider for any
(15:13):
medical concerns.
Stay connected with us onsocial media and visit our
website at medlinkgaorg for moreresources and updates.
Until next time, stay healthyand take care.
Today we're joined by Dr Elizabeth Reese, a
pediatrician, and JenniferRubner, a certified pediatric
nurse practitioner, both fromour Banks and Danielsville
offices.
Together, they'll be sharingvaluable insights on water and
swimming pool safety.
Stay tuned for expert adviceyou won't want to miss.
For expert advice you won'twant to miss.
(00:27):
Summer's coming up, it'sGeorgia weather, so it's gonna
be hot and humid and everybodywants to hop in the pool, hop in
the lake, go swimming, maybeeven the creek.
That's your thing, not mine.
I'm good with the pool.
I like to see literallyeverything.
What are some of your bestadvice to give to parents while
watching their children thissummer?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
First of all, we unfortunately having to give
this talk every year is becauseand I'm afraid every family
might have a tragic story ofsomeone that they know, a family
member, a friend, that has hada tragic outcome with a child as
far as water safety goes.
So we do repeat this every year, but in just in knowing that
(01:11):
many, in many instances thesetragic accidents can be avoided
and that's really our goal withthis is to be as proactive as
possible so that we aren't, youknow, having these terrible
consequences.
When we talk about swimmingpools, we have just some very
when you decide to get a pool inyour family, we'd like you to
(01:31):
always think that these wouldjust be hard and fast rules with
your kids that can never bebroken.
So you want to explain to yourkids why these rules are in
place and then be just religiousabout making sure that the kids
are following it.
And if you are following it andyou make all your children and
their friends follow that,there's just never going to be,
you know, a lag in doing that.
(01:52):
That will explain to them orshow them how important these
rules are.
So, really, the first is justthat an adult who can swim
should always be present whenkids are in or around a pool.
If you have to leave the areafor any amount of time, even if
you think it's just to run in tograb an extra towel, the kids
(02:13):
have to be out of the pool andout of the surrounding area.
If you have anybody, that'ssmall, because it's just the
nature of the beast that theymight decide I can't get in,
they're going to be right backagain and that sometimes in
those few seconds is where theycan get into trouble.
For infants and toddlers, weactually suggest that the adults
should be in the pool withinarm's reach.
Because of them being small,they could take water in and go
(02:37):
under so quickly.
So being within reach so thatyou can scoop them out of
trouble if they look likethey're going to be underneath
the water.
For older kids, you know ifyou're out of the pool and on
the pool deck, but you need tobe paying attention and free
from distractions.
So just being careful, becausewe all kind of fall into that
habit sometimes when we'relooking at our phone or
(02:59):
answering messages or working onwork things that we have, and
again, just that small bit oftime can be all that it takes
for there to be a tragicaccident.
After pool rules, we know thatanyone who puts in a pool will
suggest that they have a fenceat least four foot high with no
footholds or handholds, thatkids could climb into it and no
(03:23):
more than four inches betweenvertical slats so that they
can't put a hand in and be ableto open the gate.
That they have self-closing andself-latching gates and if you
are concerned about anyonecoming into the pool when you're
not there, that that you makesure that that can be locked and
that you also remove anyladders for above ground pools,
that they couldn't access thatladder and then get into the
(03:45):
pool and just have it be yourrule that after every use that
everything is locked up andtidied and just the kids kind of
get used to you going aroundand making sure that that's all
done, nothing where anybodycould climb in or get into the
pool.
Make sure that when they're inthe pool that they aren't
running on pool decks wherethings can be slippery.
(04:06):
That's something they alwayshave that at public pools, but
that's just a common sensesafety and not diving in pools
that aren't deep enough so thatwe can avoid any injury from
that.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I could see how valuable and important this
information is because,especially like I know my niece
and nephew my nephew hasdefinitely gone to get in the
water and then he's like wait, Ican't swim.
And then you're like we know.
And then you're like runningtowards him and he's just like
almost under and you're like no,no, like it's so funny how kids
just like don't even think forsometimes just that brief second
(04:40):
.
They're like you know what I'mjust going to get in.
And then they're like wait, Ican't swim.
And that's when the panic kindof sets in and it's so easy to
kind of even forget thatyourself, like because I know
how to swim and I don't have tothink about getting in the water
and worrying about drowningbecause I know how to swim.
But even that it's just kind oflike a mindless task.
(05:03):
So, especially with kids, likethey're getting in the water
with you.
When you're not in there,they're still just kind of doing
that mindless task of gettingin the water and then you're
like what?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I can tell you two instances where we have had a
pool at our house and beforethat and our kids had swim
lessons.
And even even with swim lessons, I would always say you still
can't go in without us, becauseyou know that anything can
happen when you're in there butand don't have a buddy that's in
with.
So an adult had to be there.
But several times that adultstold me their children could
swim, and because I knew ourkids had taken swim lessons to.
(05:36):
To me the definition of thatmeans you can stay afloat in the
pool, be able to get over tothe side and their kids were
sinking like stones and I jumpedinto the pool and pulled out
two kids and thought, well,that's not the definition.
Swimming is not sinking.
So you, really, I, I, you know.
Then I got more vigilant aboutasking what you know, how how
much have they swum?
So that we made sure that they,they were okay to go in there
(05:59):
yeah, you're right, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
And when I was younger I took swimming lessons
but I was so scared of the deepend that my instructor was like
it's okay, we don't have to,we'll, we'll tackle that next
summer.
And then.
So I knew how to swim, but Ididn't know how to swim in the
deep or just keep myself afloat.
So, yeah, that's definitely agood thing to always clarify is
(06:22):
like what do you mean byswimming?
Because you can swim in theshallow but you're able to touch
.
So when that panic sits in, youtouch the ground and you're
fine, but when you're in thedeep end it's a little different
.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
And swim lessons aren't really drown-proofing.
Because drown proofing?
Because a child, even ifthey're a good swimmer, they
could hit their head.
They can be entrapped.
We had an instance wheresomeone was entrapped under a
pool cover like got in when theyweren't supposed to.
And then that heavy that islike almost impossible for an
adult to lift off of them sothey can drown because of that.
So there's just all sorts ofthings that can combine an
accident with water.
And kids are top heavy whenthey're toddlers, so if they
(07:02):
fall, they you know as they fallin head first, and a lot of
times if they strike somethingwith their head, then that adds
one more layer of making itharder to keep them safe.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
And there's always that misconception that you know
drowning is going to look likeit does in, like a movie, where
there's like waving andscreaming and splashing and
they're going to make all thisnoise and it's mostly virtually
silent.
The kid is just sinking.
And so you know, making it ahabit to look at the pool and do
(07:33):
a sweep of where the kids arelooking at the bottom, do a
sweep of where the kids arelooking at the bottom.
There's a reason that when yougo to these public pools or
indoor pool grounds that theyget up every so many minutes,
make everyone get out and do avisualization of the bottom of
the pool.
And that's because you're notgoing to see necessarily a big
(07:54):
ordeal of a kid drowning,they're just going to sink.
And so people still have thatmisconception that oh yeah,
they'll flail and I'll see it.
You won't actually.
And so having that, you know,almost doing that, that sweeping
of the pool with your eyes toknow where everyone is, is a
good habit to get into.
Um, because you never knowwhere somebody might actually
(08:15):
end up.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
And then we did a thing where, if there were
multiple kids and you as aparent weren't sure that you
could keep head counts oneverybody, you might number the
kids and then one parent isresponsible for one through four
and the other will watch fivethrough eight, because you want
to keep an eye on everyone, justlike Jen said, and it's so
important.
And also if a parent knows thatthey have to run to the
(08:37):
restroom or they're going to getsomething to drink, that they
kind of tag out to a friend andsay, okay, now I need you to
watch one through four and ifeverybody has that talk to make
sure that everybody's kept safeand then it can be a really fun
environment.
But it's it's almost stressful.
When I would have family over,I would just always be.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I never really got in the pool because I'd sit out
and watch and navigate.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
The other thing.
I read this online and was likethis is a very good idea.
If you know, your pool liner isa blue color, get your kids a
different color than the colorthat the pool liner is, because
then they actually can stand outand relief a little bit more
and they'll kind of blend intothe pool liner.
If they were down on the bottomand you wouldn't notice and
you've probably read thingsabout how sometimes the suction
(09:17):
that's down at the bottom that'srecirculating the water in your
pool on a small child, thatcan't.
They can get caught in that andthen their hair can get
entrapped or their suit can getentrapped and then that can lead
to drowning.
So having something that's gota different color is helpful for
it as well, for that visualthat's a really good idea.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
I hadn't read that.
Yeah, saw I've seen a couplethings of people with summer
coming up testing differentcolor bathing suits in the water
, Cause even the water'stypically kind of that blue,
even the liner, but you're likein the Turks and Caicos, that
water's really blue as well andyou kind of get that same effect
.
So they were like this is whata neon green bathing suit looks
(09:57):
like and how you can see itbetter than other colors and
things like that.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
And then we'll talk about water safety as well, just
in other water environments inaddition to swimming pools,
because, like you say, inGeorgia, a lot of us will swim
in lakes or, you know, we'll goboating or kayaking, canoeing.
You know, we've got so manygreat water areas around here.
Be aware of, especially if yourkids are older and they're
(10:29):
going off with friends topartake in any kind of water
sport is that childhood drowningrisk can decrease after age
four, because you think about itfrom toddler age to about age
four, but it will go up again inthe teen years.
So the adolescents that are 15to 19 years old have the second
highest fatal drowning riskafter toddlers that are 12 to 36
months, so one to three yearolds, and then again at 15 to 19
(10:51):
years.
And partly is that they canoverestimate the skills that
they have in swimming.
Maybe they don't want to beembarrassed when they get
invited out, and so they oh, I'mnot gonna wear my life jacket,
because no one's wearing a lifejacket, I'll look like a nerd.
So they don't want to weartheir life jacket and so they'll
put themselves in moredangerous situations because
they don't want to do that, orthey'll just kind of assume that
they can swim, like youmentioned with your knees and
(11:13):
neck.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
They just assume.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Everybody else is doing that.
I must know how to do that, andthen they can't, and sometimes,
if they overestimate theirskills, they underestimate how
dangerous the situation can be.
If there's somewhere wherethere's a current or you know
something that could affect howthey canoe, or if they're you
know, going through that, theycould get entrapped in a
situation.
The other would be just theconcern that, too, that this is
(11:35):
a time when they'reexperimenting with things and if
they're using any alcohol atall, that that's going to dull
their reflexes and it's going to, you know, give them confidence
that maybe they shouldn't haveand make that more unsafe for
them to be in and around water Iknow with lakes in this area at
least, I'm sure everywhere younever know what's under that
(11:55):
water.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Sometimes there's a whole tree under there and you
have no idea and then all of asudden your bathing suit's
caught and you're stuck underwith it.
Yes, so definitely say,watching for lakes and all those
waters where you can't reallysee the bottom is really crucial
.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I feel like right, right, part of that swimming in
a pool with strong swimmingskills is very different than
swimming with a current orsomething that can tug you under
.
And having strong swimmingskills are very, very different
things.
Um, because you, because youknow there's lots of incidences
we hear it every year with LakeLanier, um, you know where, you
know there's just there's somuch under the water there, um,
(12:36):
that people get caught on.
So doing that, that diving forthings um deeper than you know
you should, um not a good idea.
Um, you know just especially inthose areas that um, you know,
just especially in those areasthat you know um, those lakes
were were man-made or you know,go ahead and assume that they
were man-made and that there'ssomething under there.
There's a tree, there's a town,there's, you know, an old boat
(12:58):
tire, an old boat anchor,anything that you can get caught
on and and those are very hardto get um yourself free from,
even if you are a strong swimmerand older.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
And then also just making sure to enter the water
feet first, because we seespinal cord accidents that can
happen because of diving inplaces where it was shallower
than you assumed or you hit,like you said, any of these
underground things or underwaterthings that you didn't know
were there.
And then also just making surewhen they're boating um, not
(13:27):
drinking with boating.
And then making sure thatpeople do wear their life vests,
because it makes a bigdifference if you get thrown out
of the boat, um, if you're nota strong swimmer but you've got
your life vest with you, they'llhave time to circle around and
get you where you can get into alot of trouble if it takes a
while for them to turn around.
In a busy lake, you also havemore chance of being seen by
other boaters if your head ishigh above the water.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well, and that's also good advice too, not just for
boating.
But they like to go out on theindividual jet skis or the
double jet skis and so they'reout and having and water safety.
They're out having fun on theirjet skis, you know but that you
still need to be in a vest,because it's the same thing.
You know you turn really fast,they get going really fast,
(14:10):
you're going to get thrown.
What if you get thrown in theway of a path?
What if you get thrown in anarea where no one's going to see
you for a little bit and thenyou're relying on?
You know either you floating orswimming for a long time.
You know like that's not thetime to be showing off and being
cool to your friends.
If you want to ride the jet ski, you need to put the life
jacket on and be safe.
You know, like that, that's whenyou're going to have fun is to
(14:31):
be safe.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
And parents.
We can set this up if we justmake it just a matter of it's
just what we do every time thatwe go in the water, if you make
it the expectation and explainto them that if they don't
follow the rules, they can't goin, then that will just takes
out any sort of negotiating thatyou have to do with them every
time you go out on the water.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Thank you for tuning in to the MedLink Health
Connections podcast.
We hope you found today'sepisode informative and
inspiring.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasesubscribe, rate and leave a
review on your favorite podcastplatform.
Remember the information sharedin this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not replace professional
medical advice.
Always consult with yourhealthcare provider for any
(15:13):
medical concerns.
Stay connected with us onsocial media and visit our
website at medlinkgaorg for moreresources and updates.
Until next time, stay healthyand take care.
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