How to help

There are several ways to do, in order to help others in a crisis. Strengthen your home preparedness, learn first-aid, get involved in a volunteer organisation and to talk to your neighbours about how to handle an emergency.
Updated
Grannar kan hjälpa varandra i en kris.

Get involved

Volunteers are an important part of Sweden's emergency preparedness. There are many ways to get involved. You could join a defence organisation or use those you are already involved in, to strengthen civil society's crisis capacity.    

  • Get involved in one of Sweden's 18 voluntary defence organisation (in Swedish) or contact your local aid organisation to learn what help is needed.  
  • If you already are involved in civil society, ask others in the same organisation, what you could do togehter to help society in times of crises. 

Learn about crisis management

If you get involved in a voluntary organisation, you will learn about society's crisis management. We have compiled information from the responsible authorities about crisis management and how to find information.  

Be source critical 

During crises and serious events, it is particularly important to be critical of sources. 

  • Seek information from credible sources.
  • Try to notice what information is inaccurate, who may be the origin of it, and who benefits from spreading it?
  • Do not spread false information or rumours.

Learn more about how to be source critical. 

Protect your data against cyber attacks

For a cyber-attack to succeed, the attacker must find a vulnerability. By protecting your own data, you also contribute to society's resilience against cyber-attacks.

  • Install security updates on your phone, computer or other internet-connected devices as soon as possible.
  • Be careful when clicking on links or attachments or when downloading programmes you get on e-mail, text message or online. Be extra vigilant if you don't recognise the sender.
  • Use strong passwords or two-factor authentication. Passwords should be long and contain a variety of lower- and upper-case letters, numbers and special characters.

Strengthen your home preparedness

Try to secure your family's needs of water and food for the initial stages of a power cut or other emergency which affects food and water distribution. Consider what you can do to prepare for the loss of heating in your home. Be aware that digital communication, like telephone networks, may be interrupted briefly for many reasons.  

Neighbours can be important

If something unexpected would happen, some of your neighbours might need extra help. Or maybe you would need help from them. Talk to your neighbours, discuss how you could help each other in a long-lasting power cut or a situation without access to electricity, water and heating. Why not practice cooking together on a barbecue in the courtyard?

Take care of yourself and others

Many feel worried when unexpected things are happening. Perhaps you have come across information about sad things going on. Even in these cases, or when everything doesn't function like it usually does, there are ways to manage stress and fear.

  • Try to live your life like before.
  • Keep doing the things that make you feel well.
  • Try limiting your news consumption if news reports leave you feeling more anxious or unwell.
  • Talk to someone you trust about your feelings and concerns. If you'd rather talk to a professional, several organisations offer support by phone, chat or email.
  • Support others who feel unwell. Learn more about how to care for others in times of crisis.

Learn first aid

If more people can help others, society as a whole, has better possibilities to withstand crises. One way is to learn emergency first aid in order to help people who are seriously injured. 

On this page we have gathered information about responding to cardiac arrest, bleeding and other injuries.