NOVEMBER IS CPR MONTH
70% of cardiac arrests happen at home. The person you are most likely to give CPR to is someone you know.
Your mother is feeling fearful: she is nauseated, in pain, short of breath
and sweating despite the comfortable temperature. Would you recognize these signs of a possible cardiac emergency, even if she did not?
Help is not always immediately available. 70 per cent of cardiac arrests
happen at home and the average time it takes for an ambulance to arrive in a city is eight to twelve minutes. Permanent brain damage can occur within four to six minutes after breathing stops. Would you know what to do if something happened in your home?
Why Training Makes A Difference
Your mother has now collapsed. Immediately someone leaves to call 911. The seconds tick by as someone asks, "Does anyone know CPR?"
You can learn CPR in as little as four hours. Recent changes in CPR now make it easier to learn and perform. Canadian Red Cross' first aid and CPR training helps families and individuals learn CPR and many other important skills, which can save a life.
Performing CPR increases the window of opportunity for medical personnel to help. Performing CPR doubles the survival rate. Knowing what to do in those critical minutes can save a life. Another crucial component in the chain of survival is the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Canadian Red Cross training now includes instruction on the use of AEDs. As these machines become more readily available in public areas such as shopping malls and recreational complexes, a bystander's ability to use them can increase the chance of survival for someone suffering cardiac arrest.
Who Should Be Trained
Ideally everyone should be trained in CPR. At that critical moment, you do
not want to be at a loss because Mom, the one on the floor, is the one who took the class. The more people at home that have learned the skills, the more opportunity for help in an emergency. Taking a class together could not only bond the family, but aid learning through discussion of prevention and making emergency plans. As well, you can practice and review together.
Don't forget the kids! Children taking first aid courses learn prevention,
how to handle basic injuries and are more likely to continue first aid as
they get older. This is why Canadian Red Cross has youth programs like
PeopleSavers to teach skills to children ages 5 to 12 years old. Tweens 11 years or older can take the Babysitting course to learn responsibilities of a babysitter, safety tips for children of all ages, basic child care skills,
how to prevent injuries and what to do in case of an emergency.
Find out today how you can be ready to help a friend or loved one when they need you. Visit www.redcross.ca or call your local Red Cross office.
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