Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Does your child know what to do in an emergency?

"You've probably heard stories about kids calling 9-1-1 when they realized something was wrong with an adult family member. Those kids learned how to respond to emergencies - and so can your children. Thankfully, the Heart&Stroke CPR Anytime™ Family & Friends™ Personal Learning Program kit is available to teach your whole family how to recognize the signs of distress and respond accordingly. The $35 kit comes complete with a mannequin, a bilingual 22-minute instruction DVD and reference manual so that you can learn how to do CPR in the comfort of your own home. Not only does the kit give instructions on how to help an adult who is in cardiac arrest (not breathing, heart stopped beating) until emergency personnel arrive, but you can also learn how to give CPR to a child. Says Sandra Zambon, Manager, National CPR Anytime Program, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada: 'My 5-year-old son saw the DVD and does CPR on the mannequin and his older sister's dolls. Although, he may not be doing the chest compressions as deeply as required, he knows what to do and to call 9-1-1.' More reasons why you should consider investing in a kit:

* 80% of cardiac arrests occur at home and in public places.
* 35% to 55% of cardiac arrests are witnessed by a bystander - usually a family member or friend.
* Less than 5% of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive.
* Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people knew CPR, more people would reach the hospital alive and more lives could be saved" Heart and Stroke Foundation

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