Care in Crisis

~ Arunkumar, Soundhariya, Premkumar

From STEM Land, some of us attended the Integral Education Program (IEPG). There, we had different activities such as eye yoga, social–emotional learning, CPR, and book reading. In the afternoon sessions, we could choose any of these activities and attend. As part of this, my colleagues and I chose the CPR session, and the following are the key takeaways.

CPR

CPR is done by pressing the centre of the chest 5 cm deep at 100–120 compressions per minute, followed by two rescue breaths. It works best when started within one minute of cardiac arrest. After seven minutes, survival is very unlikely.

Rescue Breaths

Tilt the head, lift the chin, pinch the nose, and give a one-second breath that makes the chest rise. Give two breaths after every 30 compressions and continue without stopping.

AED

Place one pad on the upper right chest and the other on the lower left. Do not touch the person during analysis or shock. After the shock, resume CPR for two minutes.

Collapse and Seizures

If someone is unresponsive and not breathing, start CPR and use an AED. For seizures, do not restrain the person; after it stops, place them in the recovery position and stay with them.

Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack

Cardiac arrest can happen due to low oxygen, toxins, or heart issues. Men often feel left arm chest pain during a heart attack, while women may feel pain in the back, jaw, or shoulder, along with sweating or chest pressure.

Emergency First Aid

Apply pressure to stop bleeding and avoid giving water. Raise legs only if a fainted person is fully conscious. For snake bites, do not give food or water. Keep accident victims calm.

Life Support Levels

Basic Life Support includes CPR and simple first aid. Advanced Life Support is performed by trained medical professionals.

Auroville Emergency Service contact number: 9442224680

Reflections

My name is Arunkumar. I stand for peace and equity for myself and others. I learnt first aid for different emergencies and practised five full cycles of CPR. It made me feel I can help someone in need. I got more courage to act in emergency situations, where earlier I used to stay quiet and didn’t know what to do.

My name is Soundhariya. I stand for Courage for myself and others. In this session I learned about chest compression and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).I understood how important CPR is in saving a person’s life during a heart attack. I also learned the correct way to do chest compression, how to place my hands and how deep to press during heart attack. Along with this, I also learned how to take care of myself and stay calm in such situations. The session gave me both knowledge and courage to support others when they need help the most.

My name is Prem kumar. I stand for self confidence and equality for myself and others. From IEPG session I attended the session of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). I learnt how to respond calmly during an emergency. I understand the correct steps to check the pulse and give chest compressions, and help a person who is not breathing. I learnt that timing and presence of mind are very important in CPR. I also realized that teamwork and communication matter a lot when helping someone in need. This experience taught me the value of being prepared and responsible. I feel more confident that I can support others in an emergency. It also reminded me to stay aware and take care of my own safety while helping others.