We are very pleased to announce that we were successful in competing for a Sunshine Coast Foundation 2024 Responsive Community Grant. We were awarded $4,550 for “Enhancing Cardiac Support for High-Risk members of Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre”. This will allow us to purchase an additional SleepEh Lifeline View AED (automated external defibrillator) to be placed in the main corridor and two WorkSafe BC Level 1 First Aid kits. We will then have an AED plus first-aid kit installed on either side of the dividing door to the Auditorium. This will allow the dividing door to be locked when needed. In addition, the grant provides funds to pay the instruction fees for CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and first aid training.
All the courses will be taught by Clive Barnbrook, an experienced Primary Care Paramedic. Five staff and Board members will be chosen to take an accredited Emergency First Aid course, which includes CPR and use of the AED. Forty SSAC volunteers and activity leaders will have the opportunity to take the non-accredited CPR workshop.
Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating suddenly. With the lack of blood flow to the brain and other organs, the victim can lose consciousness, become disabled or die, if not treated immediately. There were 8200 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in BC in 2022. The median age of the victims was 66 years for males, and 71 years for females (BC Emergency Health Services 2019/2020 Annual Report). The risk of cardiac arrest increases with age and can occur in asymptomatic individuals. Of our 1800 active members at SSAC, the median ages of men and women are about 70 and 79 years respectively, placing the population at higher risk for cardiac events. Many of the Centre members are physically active and partake in exercise classes or play pickleball, a sport rising in popularity, but with well-known risks of fractures, sprains, and internal organ injuries, particularly for older participants.
With the acquisition of the equipment and the training of our volunteers we will be best prepared should any critical cardiac events occur at the Centre. In addition, skills and expertise in the community will be strengthened by having volunteers trained at the Centre who will use their knowledge of CPR and first-aid to come to the aid of members of SSAC, and, also to respond to situations which may occur in the Sunshine Coast community or elsewhere. We want to have the ability to save a life
