We often hear the term being bandied about of ‘prevention being better than cure’. So if this is the case, why do we wait for so long to do the something or learn the prevention.
I was astonished as most people were to find out that cancer kills 140,000 per year and all be it we can do certain things (life style changes, quitting smoking etc.) to potentially avoid getting cancer, we cannot as yet totally prevent it. It transpires however that 140,000 people die each year from choking or first aid related events! This is totally preventable and are easily learned skills (which are covered on the Resus Andy BLS course, shameless advertising? Yes, but it’s your choice if you wish to book a class with Resus Andy).
This fact has been shockingly brought to my attention by the advertising campaign ‘Helpless’ by St. Johns Ambulance. It is a harrowing piece of work that really drives the message home that YOU can learn how to prevent certain emergencies.
The advert has been heavily criticised for it’s use of shock tactics, I for one think that this is definitely pushing the boundaries, but at the same time I think sometimes we need to be shocked into doing something. Choking is something that everyone experiences to some degree and can be easily prevented.
Be warned it is a harrowing video!
The advert can be found at the following link: -