Times Advocate, 1999-08-18, Page 6ANIP ;644
TIMES -ADVOCATE
PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07531
jim Beckett
Publisher and F,ditor
Don Smith
General Manager
Dab Lord
Production Manager
Published by J,W. Eedy Publications Limited
424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850
Exeter, Ontario NOM 156 • (519) 235-1331
EDITORIAL
Chain of survival
startswith you
Defibrfflators,work.
Plain and supple. But
they are only one part of a chain of
response which starts with you - mem-
bers of the public, people with no medical
training and no advanced technology.
A police sergeant in a community some distance from
here was out jogging on his day off. He suddenly col-
lapsed at the side of the road. He was fortunate in that
a passing motorist saw him fall, and two people in the
car happened to be trained in CPR. They .went -into
action while another motorist raced Into a nearby vil-
lage for help. •
She figured correctly - the municipal office would be
a good place to :start. The fire hall was next door and
there was a. doctors office across the road. A couple of
the volunteer firefighters in that community happen to
be paramedics. Eaclive help arrived whin minutes of
- the. police officer's collapse.
The fire crew" had oxygen equipment but no defibril-
lator. However, an amM lanae crew was only five min-
utes away • another stroke of luck, in a rural area -
and it had a defibrillator aboard.
The police officer had no pulse and was not breath-
ing when the ambulance crew arrived, and the first
shock was delivered to his chest. Nothing happened.
The second $c was delivered, and -thin a third. And
the' miracle happened, His heart begin beating on its
own, in a normal rhythm and he started to breathe.
By the time the aanbulance. arrived at the hospital, he
was fully conscious.
As it turned out, an easily tteated chemical imbal-
ance had caused his heart to stop. Medication correct-
ed the .problem, and the police sergeant was back at
work in a matter of days.
The fire department in that small rural community
saw the value of carrying defibrillation equipment and
launched a fund raising campaign. Unlike city depart-
ments, there' were no large corporate sponsors, just a
lot of small service clubs, church groups and private
citizens. A dollar here, and collection of pennies from
the local kindergarten there, and a couple of hundred
dollars from a community barbecue, and the fire
department had its defibrillator.
Some of the funds were earmarked for training-,. not
just advanced training for the firefighters, but for
teaching CPR tb� as many residents as`possible. In a
marathon session, school children, homemakers, farm-
ers, factory workers, retired people and a journalist or
two, learned the lifesaving skill of delivering the chest
compressions which keep the blood circulating until
medical help arrives.
One must never forget early defibrillation is only one
link in the chain. Had any.of the other links failed, the
police sergeant would not have survived.
The fast and effective response of those passers-by
was vital. When a person's heart stops beating, time is
of the essence, because after only four minutes, the
brain begins to die. In this case, CPR was started with-
in seconds of the man's collapse, and more advanced
medical help alerted.
All too often, People simply do not know what to do to
help, or waste time waiting for someone else to take
action. When seconds count, even a brief delay is too
long. Start CPR, and when someone more qualified
shows up, let him or her take over.
The prompt arrival at the scene of highly trained
medical personnel was the other key link in the chain.
In a rural area, such help can be spread pretty thin.
The more emergency personnel with training in defib-
rillation and access to proper equipment, the better.
Several rural volunteer departments are going after
defibrillation equipment and training. The community
needs to provide support In two ways - money for the
equipment and training, and getting as many people as
possible trained in CPR.
reprinted Ppm Saugeen Cir �y News
Wednesday, Awns )S, i
ONTARIO 4*2 POLLUTER
IN NORTH AMERICA
•
•
-,, r .
, ' -
% ••,.
+ •
•
- „y""Oa�'...► w...� u • 4....411
moa sc.;• >
-.51410
f r v �+! s 11 -.J
i . s .s
4",(i ;;2s'.s L.I
LOUISIM441k
4• rt ..< Err+"1: i#C
��s r:�.�.;; - v
•
4.
A\a••A►.-i., w. \1MM.• Y+.-Rr•v f. wr.-.•,
.• V
6•
-L 1? 0.\ •1 IL'.\74-ll. I?E41'012T
.r• -. ,
A.' '' "..Y.4 Cada _e.•
TEXAS
•
t
•
72.--,..w%
` .V� . .• G. ;
is •
s 1'
�tf ,�,'- t r• ti
. • .3-
-Bur WE
triAgtvpot!
b
•
-ate
•
r"
i' v{}sin FY,�-y
°MARA°
1
mar- e i •YM_ i,t"ii/-a wail* 10:44" 4-Vitin 1016-7,1
sairjj>I
't== 4 2;
•
.smir.,rii sr
�• t
•
If I could design a dental office
I had my regular check up at the dentist last week. I
can endure a three-hour council meeting or getting
hacked and knocked down in ball hockey but an hour in
a dental office is one of the hardest things I do all year.
Right off the bat, I must say I have a wonderful dentist.
I have no complaints about her personally or profession-
ally and her staff are great -- I guess I'm just prejudiced
against the entire profession. Harrison Ford, wearing
his Indiana Jones attire, could be working on my teeth
and I still wouldn't enjoy it..
Although dentists and dental hygienists have the best
intentions, I don't know why .they want their jobs. No
one happily goes to the slut. When was the last time
you heard someone say fives, I've got, a dental
appointment today!"?-
You have to admire the character of these p
als who all day long see people who don't want to be
there.
Here are some things that help me get through the
annual visit to what I lightheartedly call the house of
pain.
Firstof all, a good start to a date with the den-
tist is to be very tired, almost asleep. I aim for
early Tuesday morning because the night before,
I've endured a three-hour council meeting and
stayed up untie 1 a.m. writing the stories. That
way I'm not awake nor aware of my surround-
. If I could walls there in my sleep I would.
Once in the chair, I tell myself it'll be over in an
hour and focus on what I'll be doing after my
appointment.
If that doesn't ease my anxiety, I transplant my
mind to one of my favourite places. Last week, I
was thinking about a morning at the cottage with
the lake lapping at my feet and a warm, gentle
breeze blowing along the shore.
Whenever possible, I ask to be knocked out. My trip to
have my wisdom teeth removed was the best experience
I've ever had in a dentist's chair. Theyput me under for
the big sleep and it was wonderful. Unfortunately, they
apparently can't give you a general anaesthetic just to
have your teeth cleaned.
The environment in the dental office is critical in mak-
ing it a good experience.
The sound of the drill is never a comforting sound. If
some thugs ever asked me to reveal a news source, I
could withstand the tortuous sound of fingernails on a
blackboard but not the sound of a dentist drill. Play
country and western music at the same time and I'd be
singing like a magpie. Anyone who invents a silent di*
should win a Nobel Prize.
If I could design a dentist's office this is what it would
be like.
The lighting would be subdued, not dart enough to be
scary but shady enough so the patient wouldn't be able
to see the instruments.
The music would either be very peaceful with the
sound of waves or chickadees or very upbeat ... never
jazz or country. _
Perhaps I'd even have some live chickadees flitting
about and the scent of a pine forest would be filtering
*trough the buikling.` i • T t t
There would be a mural of a pastoral scene. the
ce' ` not go all out and h a • on- mount-
ed on the ceiling? How about Carol Burnett show re-
runs to relieve the tension?
And the dentist would never ask how often I floss. I
don't know anyone who flosses as often as a dentist rec-
ommends and yet they ask when they know very weR
from looking at your teeth. ,
The last time my dentist asked me, I replied,
"I floss whenever I eat pork."
Surprisingly, that's not the answer she was
holing for and suggested more frequent floss-
ing would be a good idea.
But at least I was honest. It's tempting to lie
and say I flossed at least once a day but my
teeth would tell the tale.
And of course, we promise the dentist we
will floss religiously. Sadly, we never do so
we've broken the sacred covenant with our
dentist. To myself, I promise never to- eat
sugar again and to brush alter every meal.
So how was last week's hour in the dentist's
chair? Great -- no cavities and the hygienist was the
most polite person I ever met. My dentist, as always,
was friendly and I think I may have caught a little nap
while waiting in the easy chair. ..
As an added bonus with the fun and frivolity, I
received a free toothbrush and dental floss with my
$82.50 bill.
Which makes me wonder, when your regular physical
and eye examinations are covered by OHIP, why isn't
your annual dental checkup? Seems like an essential
component of health care to me.
KATE
MONK
KATE'S
TAKES
411111111111111111,1111.
About the Times -Advocate
Address & Office Hours
Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850,
Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to
Friday, 8:30 $n to 5:00 pm.
Contact lis Illy Pitons or Fax
Classified ad & subscription sales ....(519) 235-1331
24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336
„Tax number forte departments , (519) 235-0766
Subscription
One year rate for addresses in Canada: $35+GST
Two year rate for addresses In Canada: $63+GST
One year rate for addresses outside Canada:
$102 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription.
Classified Rates
Word ads: $9.00 for 20 words, 15t for each additional
word+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announcements,
coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $11.00 +
GST for up to 30 words, -10e for each additional word.
All ads must be pre -paid. The classified ad deadline is
Monday at 10 a.m.
Qisplay Advertising
'Tb place a display ad. (519) 235-1331 weekdays 8:30
'to 5.m. or eves (519)235-1336 (leave message)
or toll-free at 1-888-270-1602. Deadline: Friday 4 p.m.
E-mail Us
TA e-mail addresses consist of the person's first initial
and last name followed by @ta.eedy.com.
For example, Jim Beckett s e-mail address is <jbeck-
ett kta.eedy.com> Our general e-mail address is edi-
tor•South Huron.com.
y