"Teardrops On My Guitar" by Taylor Swift performed at 100 beats per minute.
"About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event."
My children are well aware of the terrible effects of heart disease, with a bird's eye view from their stroller(s), while seeing my father through one life-saving procedure after another.
Thanks to his doctors, surgeons and my mother's valiant attempts at maintaining a healthy lifestyle, by keeping his diabetes in check, as well, my father has been beating back the effects of heart disease for quite a few years, now.
[knocking on wood until knuckles bleed]
February is Heart Health Month and, in an effort to help spread awareness, I'm very proud to be partnering with the American Heart Association to tell you about their new "Be the Beat" initiative -- one of the key components of the life-saving resuscitation method involves chest compressions, which they say should be performed at 100 beats per minute -- and focus on fun ways to educate teens (and tweens) on the basics of CPR.
'Cawse, I got a couple of those...too...teens and tweens, I mean.
The youth-friendly site (http://bethebeat.heart.org/) encourages kids to, "Don't just stand there," and be a bystander in an emergency (specifically, when witnessing a cardiac arrest) which, in my opinion, helps empower parents to teach them to be responsible adults, too.
The site also features:
- The Basics: Three instructional videos that demonstrate conventional CPR with breaths, Hands-Only CPR and how to use an AED.
- The Heart Trek Experience: Virtual tour through a 3- D animated version of the heart in which participants earn points by playing video games and taking interactive quizzes.
- The World of Hearts: Users create unique avatars, track and compare their scores in the Heart Track Experience with other users and view profiles and testimonies of other participants.
- Music Playlist: A downloadable playlist of 100-beat-per-minute songs (100 beats per minute is the correct rate for chest compressions during CPR).
- Stuff: Free printable stickers, T-shirt decals and stationery, and free downloadable widgets and wallpapers.
The website also features a section for teachers and administrators who want to implement a CPR/AED education program in their schools.
Free downloadable lesson plans and templates are also available for creating and sustaining an in-school emergency response plan are included in the teacher/administrator portion of the site, which can be found by visiting BetheBeat.heart.org/schools.
There's also a video on YouTube (where, I know, my teens like to, you know, hang out, a lot) showcasing the power of CPR:
FINAL VERDICT: I <3 initiatives like "Be the Beat" in their efforts to help educate families (like mine) on ways we can better respond to emergencies and, hopefully, help give more cardiac victims a better chance at life.
Because, it's how we roll!
© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.
DISCLOSURE: NO PAYMENT OR CONSIDERATION, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO HELP SPREAD SOME LINKY-LOVE DURING HEART HEALTH MONTH WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST.
