part of any family’s safety plans, Cabañas says.
Learning can be simple.
Taking a CPR course will help people know how to respond, Cabañas shares.
“There’s multiple ways to learn CPR these days,” he says. You can learn the basics from a free AHA video and get hands-on training through a community center or fire department. (Some airports and medical centers have hands-only training kiosks.)
You’re qualified to use an AED.
AEDs can shock a heart back into rhythm but, as with CPR, need to be used quickly. You should scout out where to find one in places you frequent.
If a place you visit lacks one, Cabañas recommends talking with the manager. If you acquire one for your own facility, register it with the local EMS system so that 911 dispatchers know where to direct people.
Some AEDs might say they are for trained personnel only. Ignore that, Hunt says. With voice and visual prompts “they were designed to be used by someone who’s never seen them before,” from sixth graders to senior citizens.
It’s not all on you.
Saving people from sudden cardiac arrest takes a community effort, Cabañas notes. “When we see jurisdictions and cities and countries that have a higher survival rate, it’s because the community engages and the community is participating in those efforts.”
That also means you don’t face an emergency alone, he says. Other lay responders, 911 dispatchers, first responders and medical workers all are part of the chain.
“You’re not alone,” he says. “There’s going to be other people that will be around to support you in that mission of trying to save somebody’s life.”
By the American Heart Association