CPR/AED/First Aid Class: September 21, 2018 at the Clubhouse

ALERT! Important message to follow at end of this article.* Save a life in two steps.
Nearly two-thirds of people feel helpless during a cardiac emergency. Don’t be one of them. 70% of the cardiac arrests that occur outside the hospital happen at home!
If your heart suddenly stopped, you’d hope others around you would take action and perform CPR, right? Especially in your own home. However, statistics show that bystanders do CPR only about a third of the time. Squeamishness around mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is one reason people are hesitant to help, but research now says this is actually a step you can skip. In fact, researchers found that hands-only CPR, which is given without rescue breaths, resulted in a 60% higher survival rate than conventional CPR. And, it typically takes a bystander less time to start giving hands-only CPR than the traditional kind. Quicker action means better odds of survival, so here’s exactly what to do if you experience someone in need:
1) CALL: If you see someone collapse abruptly, call 911 right away or ask another person to do so.
2) COMPRESS: If the person is an adult or a teen, kneel down next to him/her and tap their shoulder, jostle their leg, or ask whether they are OK. Kids under 12 and infants require different CPR, so check www.redcross.org/childcpr for specific information. If the person in distress doesn’t respond and doesn’t seem to be breathing, or is breathing very irregularly, put the heel of one hand in the center of their chest, roughly between their breasts. Place your other hand on top and interlock your fingers. Push
hard and fast, locking your elbows and using your body weight to push down at least two inches until help arrives.
You’re aiming for 100 to 120 compressions per minute. If you don’t feel comfortable just reading this article, then sign up for our next CPR/AED/FIRST AID CLASS at the Clubhouse on September 21 at 3:00 p.m. Get hands-on training, become certified, gain confidence, and rest in the peace of mind that you have made the effort and are better prepared if the need arises.
*Call the office today to register for the class. The fee is $45 and is well worth the investment!
—Kent Wellbrock