Injury Prevention & Safety

Information for Families

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Safety Awareness Topic|Injury Prevention & Safety Resources


Protect Your Child from Concussions

Injury Prevention & Safety

Falls are the leading cause of injuries leading to emergency department or urgent care centre visits for children in Alberta, so it’s important to stay safe this summer — and that includes recognizing the signs of concussions and preventing them.

A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. More than 3,500 children under five years of age visited an emergency department or urgent care centre for injuries when they fell off a bed, chair or other furniture in 2022, according to the most recent statistics. About 70 per cent of concussion injuries in children are from falls.


What Can You Do?

Tips to Prevent Concussions This Summer

In children under five years of age:

  • actively watch your child. Make sure they are in a safe environment.
  • use wall-mounted gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
  • install window guards on all windows on the second floor and above. 

In children five to nine years of age:

  • teach your child about safety during wheeled activities.
  • make sure your child wears a helmet during wheeled activities.
  • use child car seats and booster seats correctly.

It can be difficult to tell if your child has a concussion. Watch for: 

  • a headache that does not go away.
  • changes in the way they play or act, or in their mood.
  • changes in the way they eat or sleep.

Children suspected of having a concussion should stop sports or activities, see a healthcare provider and rest. Rest, followed by a gradual return to activities, is often the best way to recover from a concussion. Always follow your healthcare provider’s guidance.

Call 911 if your child has symptoms such neck pain, repeated vomiting, growing confusion, seizures, and weakness or tingling in their arms or legs. 
 


Learn More


Injury Prevention & Safety Resources

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Child Car Seats On the Move
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ATV Safety On the Move, Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian, Youth, Adult, Older Adult
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Child Safety: Pedestrian On the Move
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School Safety: School Bus Safety On the Move
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Child Safety: Preventing Burns At Home
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Choking Prevention in Small Children At Home
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Crying, Age 3 and Younger At Home
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Child Safety: Preventing Drowning At Home
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Child Safety: Preventing Falls At Home
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Rural Safety: Farm Safety for Children At Home, At Play
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Parent or Guardian, Youth
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Preventing Poisoning in Young Children At Home
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Safe Sleep for Babies First Year At Home
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Parent or Guardian
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Swallowed Button Battery, Magnet or Object with Lead At Home
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Parent or Guardian
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Trampoline Safety: AHS Position Statement At Home, At Play, Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian, Youth
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Bike and Small Wheeled Recreation (Children) At Play, Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian
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Playground Safety At Play
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Parent or Guardian
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Sport and Recreation Safety (Children) At Play, Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian
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Winter Safety On the Move, At Play
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Parent or Guardian, Youth, Adult, Older Adult
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Sport and Recreation Safety (Youth) At Play, Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Bike and Small Wheeled Recreation Safety (Youth) At Play, Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Child Safety: Take the Bike Helmet YES Test Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Winter Safety: Ice Hockey and Skating Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Winter Safety: Downhill Ski and Snowboarding Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Winter Safety: Sledding and Tobogganing Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Bullying Suicide Prevention
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Grief and Healing After Suicide Loss

Suicide Prevention
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Adult, Older Adult; Parent or Guardian
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Stress Management: Stress and Youth On the Move
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Suicide: Self-Harm and Youth Suicide Prevention
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Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Warning Signs of Suicide in Children and Teens Suicide Prevention
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Youth Addiction & Mental Health - Help4Me Suicide Prevention
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Teen Drivers: Helping Your Teen Become a Safe Driver Traffic Safety
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Parent or Guardian; Youth, Adult
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The Checkpoints Parent-Teen Driving Agreement Traffic Safety
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Parent or Guardian; Youth, Adult
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Preventing Trips, Slips and Falls Falls Prevention
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Preventing Falls in the Hospital Falls Prevention
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Preventing Falls: Care Instructions Falls Prevention
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Suicide: Hope and Healing After Suicide Suicide Prevention
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Stress Management Suicide Prevention
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Suicidal Thoughts and Threats Suicide Prevention
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Suicide: The Language of Suicide Suicide Prevention
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Warning Signs of Suicide in Adults Suicide Prevention
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Bike and Small Wheeled Recreation (Overview) Sport & Recreation
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Parent or Guardian, Youth, Adult, Older Adult
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Sport and Recreation Safety: Adults Sport & Recreation
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Traffic Safety: Safety Tips for Drivers, Cyclists, and Pedestrians Traffic Safety
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Elder Abuse Family Violence
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Domestic Violence Family Violence
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Preventing Falls in Older Adults Falls Prevention
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Aging Well: Making Your Home Fall-Proof Falls Prevention
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Preventing Falls in Older Adults Who Take High-Risk Medicines Falls Prevention
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Warning Signs of Suicide in Older Adults Suicide Prevention
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Healthy Aging: Is It Time to Stop Driving Traffic Safety
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Adult, Older Adult
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Healing After a Suicide Death

Suicide Prevention
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Adult, Older Adult: Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Helping Children Cope With a Suicide Death

Suicide Prevention
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Parent or Guardian; Adult, Older Adult
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After a Suicide: Everyone Grieves in Their Own Way

Suicide Prevention
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Adult, Older Adult; Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Treatment - Outpatient / Outreach Counselling
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Family Violence
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Adult, Older Adult
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Bicycle and Wheeled Safety
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Traffic Safety; On the Move
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Adult, Older Adult; Parent or Guardian
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Poison & Drug Information Service (PADIS) 
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Suicide Prevention; At Home
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Adult, Older Adult; Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Provincial Family Violence Treatment Program 
Service: Alberta-wide

Family Violence
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Adult, Older Adult; Parent or Guardian; Youth
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Car Seat Safety
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Traffic Safety; On the Move
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Adult, Older Adult; Parent or Guardian
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Child Car Seat Education Clinics
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Traffic Safety; On the Move
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Driver Evaluation and Training Service
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Traffic Safety; On the Move
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Child Safety Workshops
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Traffic Safety, Child and Youth Safety, Falls Prevention
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