Could You Help To Save A Life?

from Cardiff Times - November 2022

As the Festive Season Approaches

by Natalie McCulloch

In the UK alone at least 12 ‘healthy’ young people will die every week from heart conditions they didn’t even know they had.

Leading heart charity, Calon Hearts, is on a mission to make these shocking fi gures a thing of the past by aiming to reduce this number and aspiring for a future whereby nobody in Wales dies prematurely from heart disease. Calon hearts believe that no family should lose a loved one to a heart condition that could have been detected and managed. To succeed in their mission Calon hearts need your help and support to put in place more lifesaving strategies into our Welsh communities. If you feel inclined to know more, try and answer these 3 simple questions:

1. Would you be confi dent to deliver lifesaving

CPR or use a defi brillator in a time of need?

It’s estimated that 74% of people in the UK don’t know CPR or are unsure how to do it. Part of Calon hearts vision is to deliver FREE CPR and defi brillator training in Wales. So far, thanks to the support of trained paramedics, doctors and nurses, they have trained nearly 8000 people in CPR, placed nearly 20,000 defi brillators, and screened nearly 7000 hearts in the UK in settings such as schools, sports clubs and communities. Their aim is to ensure people can act confi dently and without hesitation in an emergency. If you feel you, or your community could benefi t from a session, please do get in touch with them today! You never know when you may need these skills!

2. Do you know where your nearest defi brillator is?

In an emergency, each minute that is wasted reduces the chances of saving that life by 10%. Accessibility to a defi brillator is key to saving a life, so knowing where one is, is key. Calon hearts mission is to ensure that nobody is further than 100 meters away from a publicly accessible defi brillator in Wales. Calon Hearts have placed nearly 20,000 already but they need your support to place more defi brillators into Welsh communities, do you know somewhere that could benefi t?

3. Have you had a heart screening or heart health check recently?

Calon Hearts, through its charitable heart screening programme, has already established the benefit of screening, having identified many people with life-changing and life-limiting cardiac conditions. The campaign is backed by former Wales Captain Sam Warburton who is backing the campaign as he falls under the age bracket and is most at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. You can book a place online to get your heart screened alongside getting some advice and tips on how to maintain a healthy heart. Were you surprised by your answers? Do you feel you could do with an extra boost to your lifesaving skills. If so, please use Calon hearts services to educate yourself and save others. As with any charity, In order to fund all these lifesaving skills and strategies and save lives, they need your help. There are so many ways you can get involved, even from the comfort of your armchair! • If you’ve had a clear out recently in work or at home, and have found yourself with bags of unwanted clothes, Collect My Clothes Wales can come and collect them at no cost to you, and for every ton of clothes donated, they receive £250 • To make a monetary donation you can Log onto https://www.justgiving.com/calonheart or call them on 029 2240 2670 • If you fancy doing something a bit more unusual, why not check out the array of events at https:// www.calonhearts.org/events/ where you’ll find everything from meeting Santa Claus to an evening with Ceri Dupree and delicious charity lunches. Now is the ideal time to take steps to help your heart and save a life. The important knowledge and actions that you take now could help to make a huge impact.

So why not log onto: https://www.calonhearts. org/ to find out more about how you can make a difference to yourself and your community.

ThisChristmaslet’s LightupaLifeand rememberlovedones withCityHospice

CityHospice’sannual LightupaLife campaign,whichremembersandcelebrates thelivesoflovedones,hasreturnedfor 2022.Thereareseveralinnovativewaysto getinvolvedandsupportCityHospicethisChristmas.

JointhehundredsofstarstwinklingintheCardiffskylinethisChristmasandleave adedicationinmemoryofalovedoneonourvirtual ‘StarintheSky’. Withno restrictionsinplacethisyear,remembranceandfundraisingeventswilltake placeincludingourannual ChristmasRemembrance eventon Thursday01st December inthegroundsofCityHospicewhichisfreetothepublic.

DonationsmadeduringtheLightupaLifecampaignwillgotwiceasfar,thanksto matchfundingby TheHodgeFoundation whoaregenerouslysupportingthe campaign.

AspartofLightupaLife,supporterscandonateadayofvitalnursingcare providingbyourclinicalnursespecialistsduringthemonthofDecemberand haveitfeaturedinour DonateaDayAdventCalendar. Thisisopentoindividuals,schools,businessesand communitygroupswhomaywishtosupportCity HospicethisChristmas.DonatingaDayofnursing wouldbetheworldtousatanytimeandevenmore soatChristmas.