Defibrillator installed at Taupō gym
Lions fundraised for lifesaving machine
Alifesaving device has been installed at a Taupō gym. Nuki’s Boxing Gym, on Spa Rd, now has an automated external defibrillator (AED), of potential use to about 120 gym patrons.
Lakeland Lions fundraised for the AED, and president Elwyn Violich says they were happy to make a defibrillator available to gym patrons.
The defibrillator cost $2500 and Elwyn says in recent months AEDs have saved three people around Taupō .
The free app ‘AED Locations’ shows where defibrillators are located all over New Zealand.
“The ambulance officers all know where the AEDs are and, for example, could direct people to the defibrillator at Nuki’s when it is open in the evening, but it is mainly there for the members,” Elwyn says.
Nuki’s gym member Roy Bowers says the AED works by firing a massive electrical hit to the heart to reestablish the normal rhythm.
“It’s automatic, and so it can’t fire when the heart is beating normally, and that’s what makes it so effective.
“Anyone can use the AED in conjunction with CPR. The AED machine also provides a CPR count.”
About 120 people train at the Nuki’s building, including Nuki’s Boxing Gym, Taupō Modka Combat Academy, and Taupō Parkinson’s Wellness Group aka the Concrete Club.
St John Taupō clinical support officer Peter Lockie and Pinnacle Health exercise consultant Wendy Crisp provided a training session to club members.
Roy says the AED unit provides voice prompts and clear instructions for each step of the process.
Wendy says the defibrillator is
designed to be used by a member of the public who wasn’t expecting to use a defibrillator that day or ever.
“It’s voice-activated and there are pictures. As soon as you open it up, it says ‘remain calm and call 111’, and I think an 8-year-old could use one of these things,” Wendy says.
Next, the voice instructs the user to ‘undress the patient’ and to ‘place the pads on the patient’s chest’, with
a diagram for each step.
“Then the voice says ‘checking heart rate’, and this part is where the user’s biggest fear comes to the fore, because many people [I have trained] think they are going to kill the patient,” Wendy says.
However, Wendy says you really can’t do any harm with a defibrillator, given that the patient has already collapsed, is unconscious and
unresponsive.
Elwyn says the Lakeland Lions Club Taupō are continuously fundraising for community projects.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic membership numbers have dipped and he says they need new members so they can continue to fundraise and do good work.
Elwyn says they are particularly looking for someone who is computer literate to pay the bills online.