Janet Springer of the Renfrew Rotary Club practices using an AED.
In your workplace or facilities that you frequent, do you know where the AED is located?
Some Renfrew Rotary Club members didn’t, which prompted a recent training session that focused on using an AED (automated external defibrillator), as well as using Naloxone for drug poisoning.
Rotarian Janet Springer spoke to myFM at the AFAC Wing, where the session, conducted by Dan and Jo-anne Caldwell of Ottawa Valley First Aid, was held. Rotary partnered with the Wing for the training, said Springer.
Just what is an AED?
Dan explained that AEDs are portable and lightweight devices that deliver a shock to restart the heart and restore its natural rhythm. Only an AED can restart a heart, he noted, CPR cannot. And voice prompts from the machine, as well as diagrams on the pads, make using an AED basically foolproof.
“These little things save so many lives,” he told participants. “The biggest thing about AEDs is you need to know where they are.”
Dan explained that Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose by blocking the effects of other opioids. In the wake of the ongoing opioid crisis, it’s increasingly being used, he said. However, opioid poisoning is something that can happen to anyone, including seniors who accidentally mix up their medication.
“It’s not a type of person, it’s everyone,” said Dan.
Springer said at first she was thinking she was glad there were some younger people attending who might be more likely to be exposed to opioid poisoning, but she was surprised to learn that’s not always the case.
Session attendees were able to see a sample Naloxone nasal applicator, the most common application for the medicine.
Overall, said Springer, the session was well-attended and attendees welcomed the information. This presentation was kept small but the Rotary Club may consider hosting more in the future.
(Written by Sherry Haaima)