Concrete Club members with Pinnacle Health's Wendy Crisp (left), and Lakeland Lions Taupo club president Elwyn Violich (centre and holding the defibrillator). Photo / Suppliedd
Concrete Club members with Pinnacle Health's Wendy Crisp (left), and Lakeland Lions Taupo club president Elwyn Violich (centre and holding the defibrillator). Photo / Suppliedd
A lifesaving 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 Boxing Gym and Taupō Modka Combat Academy members learn how to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED). Photo / Supplied
Nuki's gym member Roy Bowers says the AED works by firing a massive electrical hit to the heart to re-establish 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 on the use of the defibrillator to club members. Roy says the AED unit provides voice prompts and clear instructions for each step of the life-saving 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 eight-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.
Concrete Club members with Pinnacle Health's Wendy Crisp (left), and Lakeland Lions Taupo club president Elwyn Violich (centre and holding the defibrillator). Photo / Suppliedd
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.
"We run the Lion's Express Train twice a day in the summer holidays and we need volunteers to do train duty for a few hours each month.
"It's fun learning to drive the train, and we love seeing the children's excitement."
The Lion's Express Train in the Tongariro Domain, Taupo. Photo / Supplied
Lakeland Lions distribute funds to people and groups in the Taupō District.
Elwyn says they make a contribution to youth sporting/cultural trips, assist disadvantaged people who need help altering their home, help with retired people's gardening, deliver firewood for the disadvantaged elderly, and also help with school gardening projects.
Elwyn says they are particularly looking for someone who is computer literate to pay the bills online.
