GBA Update - Summer 2020

12 ≥ www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Summer 2020 D id you know that by doing CPR on someone when they go into cardiac arrest increases their chances of survival by 5%? And that by using CPR in tandem with an automated external defibrillator (AED), which are becoming more common in public spaces, increases their chances of survival by 75%? With numbers like that, maybe it’s time to refresh your CPR skills and/or purchase an AED for your cottage. A portable AED for home or cottage is now less than $1,500, with discounts available from Action First Aid for Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association (FOCA) members. For an AED to be most effective, it needs to be used within about 10 minutes of a cardiac incident, so sharing them between friends and cottages (unless you are a really fast runner/swimmer) is not always practical. With this in mind, the Cognashene Cottagers’ Association (CCA) hosted a CPR & AED Responder course for its members through Action First Aid in the summer of 2019. The course was attended by about 20 people from ages six to 80 who were there to learn or refresh their CPR skills and to learn how to use an AED. Many participants were happy to discover that the CPR process has been simplified over time, making it easier to remember what to do. They also learned a variety of signs and symptoms of heart conditions, when to call for help, and who to call for help. For instance, at the cottage, calling the Coast Guard by dialing *16 on your cell phone may get a faster response than a 911 responder. They also learned that modern AEDs talk to you and walk you through everything. The most important part was the hands-on practice on the specialized mannequins, integrating all the things they had learned about recognizing and evaluating the situation, starting CPR, and using the AED until more help arrives. Everyone who attended felt more comfortable with the equipment and the CPR process by the time they were done. The event was so successful that they have scheduled a date for summer 2020 as well. Here are some comments from those who attended the 2019 event: “I enjoyed the course and the instructor was both informative and entertaining. I suggest that the Cognashene Cottagers’ Association (CCA) do it again next year. It was very worthwhile.” “We thoroughly enjoyed the session. Very good value. Would have paid more for the quality of the training.” “I’m so glad that we signed up. John is an excellent presenter.” “We both thoroughly enjoyed the AFA (Action First Aid) session that you organized. I learned a lot and appreciated the opportunity to practice CPR as well as ask all my questions. John, our instructor, was knowledgeable and entertaining.” “We loved the course and it was very helpful.” Action First Aid can be reached at 1-866-347-7824 or at actionfirstaid.ca . They can help with questions about purchasing an AED or organizing training (if you want to take a certified course or plan your own session). There are also a variety of informational videos on their website. By Sandy Thompson, Environment Director, CCA ENVIRONMENT Getting to the Heart of the Matter All photos by Sandy Thompson