Empower Yourself to Help Those You Love in an Emergency
Prevention and Treatment At some point, we all consider just how capably we could handle an emergency. Though we would like to think of ourselves as calm, confident individuals, the truth is that in a stressful, life-threatening situation it can be difficult to know how to properly respond.
Many Canadians lack proper training
Though we may have different confidence levels when it comes to handling emergencies, we can agree there are few things worse than feeling helpless in assisting a loved one in distress. However, according to a 2016 Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of the Canadian Red Cross, one-third of Canadian households lack someone trained in first aid. More remarkable is that despite this noted lack of knowledge, three quarters of Canadians believe they would know how to respond if they saw someone fall off a ladder or otherwise injure themselves.
Without training, how many of us can tell the difference between the signs of a stroke or an anxiety attack? How many of us know that nausea, vomiting, and jaw pain can be signs of a heart attack?
A course that could save a life
The Red Cross offers an array of first aid courses created to make it easier for people to learn how to prevent and respond to heart attacks and other medical emergencies. The organization wants Canadians to feel confident they can successfully come to the aid of family, friends, and community members in an emergency.
Red Cross’ teaching philosophy has evolved to become more learner-centric. The organization offers a blended approach to studying that allows participants to learn concepts online and progress through the course stages using self-guided study. Once participants feel confident with what they have learned, they can continue the course with an instructor in a classroom setting.
“Canadian Red Cross programs are built in a way that focuses on an individual’s confidence to act in an emergency,” explains Don Marentette, the Director of First Aid Programs for the Canadian Red Cross. “As an organization, we place less importance on people remembering exact steps, and more on recognizing the need for help. We feel it’s important to empower individuals to be confident in their abilities to offer help and potentially save a life.”
It’s impressive that in a few short hours you can learn critical skills that could make the difference between life and death for a loved one.
