Through a grant provided by the Northwest Health Foundation, Central Oregon Council on Aging (COCOA) has installed Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) in three of their Central Oregon meal sites. Senior centers in Redmond, La Pine, and Madras received the equipment, as well as emergency response education training for staff and volunteers.
The installation of these devices follows on the heels of an effort to boost emergency effectiveness in incidents of potential life-threatening cardiac arrest at senior meal sites. The agency recently ran a funding campaign seeking to add one AED to the overall emergency preparedness kits available at each of the five senior centers from where they provide meals and manage services. Funding provided by Northwest Health Foundation made it possible to install AEDs at three of the locations.
Redmond Senior Center is one of three Central Oregon senior centers to receive defibrillators and training through a grant from the Northwest Health Foundation. La Pine and Madras centers were also beneficiaries.
“According to the latest statistics, when a person experiences sudden cardiac arrest, a shock to the heart is the key to restoring normal rhythm. Without immediate help the victim can die within minutes. Considering the average age of the population served through the senior centers, we believe it is in the best interests of everyone concerned to make these devices available”, said COCOA program manager Carol Maszk. “Although we expect incidents to be rare, our staff and volunteers are very happy to have the new AED s available for emergency use.”