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When Lorie-Ann Hibbert was a child in elementary school, one of her close friends collapsed and needed CPR.
She stood there in fear and could only watch as others rushed in to help her friend.
Talk to The Gleaners During a CPR demonstration conducted by the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) at the HEART/NSTA Trust Skills Day Expo yesterday, Hibbert explained that while she has not encountered anyone else requiring resuscitation since then, she believes everyone should learn emergency lifesaving procedures.
“I always wondered what it would feel like to do something like that,” she said of CPR.
Hibbert strapped the baby to her body and watched as someone demonstrated the procedure on a baby mannequin, feeling curious and terrified at the same time.
She said all Jamaicans need to learn how to save lives in this way because “it can be a matter of life or death” when someone around them needs CPR.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Hibbert said, adding that people should understand the importance of life and that simple things can become very complicated in a split second.
Unwilling to learn CPR
Today marks the end of CPR Week, which began on Monday. This year’s theme is “Don’t Panic! Just Push Hard! CPR Saves Lives.”
HFJ concluded its activities with a Family and Friends CPR Day at its offices at 28 Beechwood Avenue, St. Andrew, from 9am to 2pm today.
CPR is emergency treatment given to someone who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped beating and who is unresponsive. This could be from a heart attack, suffocation, or drowning.
Talk to The GleanersAlonzo Mothersill, HFJ’s training manager, said when someone collapses, people around them often start to panic, and some people’s first reaction is to record the whole thing on their smartphones.
He said there is a general reluctance among Jamaicans to learn how to perform CPR, with many not realising the importance of learning the skill until a loved one or friend needs it.
Mothersill urged everyone to be proactive and learn CPR because accidents happen all the time at home and the procedure can save lives.
“If you do CPR, you can give the person the best chance of survival. But if you don’t do CPR, these people can die. So, it’s good to know what to do in an emergency,” he explained.
He pointed out that once a person is not breathing, has no pulse, and has no signs of life, CPR is needed.
Guinea Seed Smother
CPR instructor Artize Aransevia shared that during the summer vacation, especially when the guinep is in season, there are many cases of choking among children because they accidentally swallow the seeds.
In demonstrating how to help someone with a blocked airway, he said that for infants, five back blows and five chest compressions or compressions should be performed. This should be continued until the object blocking the airway is removed.
For adults or older children, five abdominal thrusts or compressions must be performed until the foreign body is expelled, Aransevilla said.
In drowning situations, CPR is usually performed, consisting of 30 compressions followed by two breaths into the victim’s mouth for five cycles, followed by reassessment.
“Ideally, you should reassess after two minutes,” he added.
According to HFJ, not only is CPR a critical life-saving skill that can be used at home, but the entire workforce should be certified.
Other skills were also showcased at the HEART/NSTA Trust’s Skills Day Expo.
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