This past December, our Executive Director was an invited speaker to come back and give two presentations at the Citizen CPR Foundation’s, Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit in San Diego, CA. This program draws a world-wide audience of not only experts in the resuscitation field, but survivors of cardiac arrest from a multitude of causes.
Our first presentation, “Drowning / Near-Drowning: the Impact on the Victim, Family, and Community”, explored this issue from a not only the traditional statistical perspective but we delved into the emotional toll these incidents take on those involved in a rescue/recovery perspective. Actual hands-on case studies were presented to illustrate the points from not only the community view, but also from a first responder’s perspective.
Our second presentation, “Resiliency for Caretakers: Lessons from the Street”, examined some of the challenges that caretakers face when in these roles. Whether a paid professional or a family member caring for a loved one, there can be a toll to be paid for supporting others. Tips on self-care were provided to manage these challenges. A case study of one paramedic’s career was used to illustrate how one can potentially end up in a dark place yet climb out of the hole and build upon the lessons learned along the way to help others.
It is always an honor to be invited back as a speaker to this event and to be able to present on topics such as these. The awareness of this group to seek out education in these areas shows how far we have come in the emergency services sector. Uniformed services have trained for years to help others yet self-care was never a real priority. Additionally, those at home that find themselves in these roles weren’t always noted for what they do. This conference allowed us to recognize both, provide some tips, and to simply say “Thank You” for what you do.
To learn more about this group please visit: https://citizencpr.org