I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not medically inclined… I’m scared of blood, tears and pain in general. When Mom Central asked for testers for the AHA Family & Friends CPR Anytime I jumped at the chance. Although I was certified years ago when I was in the military, I never really felt comfortable or like I got enough instruction or practice… it was just a run through, 2 seconds with a blow up doll and out you go. Don’t forget to pick up your card on the way out.
The American Heart Association is improving that situation by giving everyone more time and opportunity to practice life saving skills. In fact, 20 minutes is all it takes to go through a DVD demonstration of hands only CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in addition to all the reactionary things like when to call 911 an how to take charge and recruit help if available.
All of this is wonderful but the truly innovative part of the kit is the Mini Anne. Easy to inflate and incredibly good as a visual / touchable aide. I can now say I’ve perfected the technique of covering the mouth and blowing and tilting perfectly. While performing chest compressions, the clicking is a wonderful gage as to timing and going along with the DVD gives a good indication of how long you’ll have to keep it up.
I talked to the kids about CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. I know not everyone agrees but I like to expose my kids to things on my terms in hopes that they will have a better understanding if they witness something. Boy2001 has heard about CPR but wasn’t sure what it was, he practiced a bit with Mini Anne. All of them were on the edge of their seats watching me follow along with the DVD — hopefully they won’t get too scared if they ever see this in real life!
Want more information about classes in your area or to get your own practice kit? Visit AHA website some time soon.
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