Learn what a heart attack feels like as it could save your life — This is the message from heart and stroke charity, Croí, which has just launched a heart attack awareness campaign in Mayo, for the month of October, in collaboration with Mayo PCCC, HSE West and Mayo General Hospital.
This inaugural campaign will see the month of October dedicated to informing the public about the main signs and symptoms of heart attack.
This campaign stems from the ongoing partnership between Croí and Mayo HSE on the ‘Mayo Action on Heart Disease and Stroke’ programme, which aims to reduce the impact of heart disease and stroke in the county. This campaign is a first of its kind in Ireland, and will be piloted in Mayo during October.
Speaking about this initiative Croí Nurse and Co-ordinator of this partnership programme, Ailish Houlihan said “This campaign will inevitably save lives and we are delighted it is being piloted here in Mayo. The main aim of this month-long campaign is to raise awareness about heart attack.
“We are encouraging everyone in the county to learn the main signs and symptoms of heart attack and to take immediate action by phoning 999 or 112 for an ambulance, if you suspect that you, or a family member, may be having a heart attack.
“All too often, people wait too long to take appropriate action, which can limit their treatment options; increase their risk of complications following heart attack; and unfortunately, in too many cases, individuals die at home before they seek help.”
Co-ordinator of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Mayo General Hospital, Ann Marie Brown, reiterated the purpose of this campaign “This campaign is designed to increase public awareness about the warning signs of heart attack and to encourage individuals to act quickly to get the medical treatment they need, in order to save lives.
“So many individuals who come through the cardiac rehabilitation service following a heart attack, express concern that they did not recognise that they were having a heart attack at the time of their event. Unfortunately, many people still believe that the experience of a heart attack will be similar to that portrayed on the TV or in the movies, in other words, they expect to experience the classical crushing chest pain or collapse on the floor, and if they do not experience these, they are left thinking that their symptoms are unrelated to heart attack. It is important that the public realize that there are many other signs of heart attack, and by becoming aware of these, we hope people will seek help sooner.”
With heart attack, minutes matter, so the key message during this campaign is ‘know the signs of heart attack and take immediate action by calling 999 or 112. To learn more about heart attack please visit www.croi.ie/heartattack For further information about this Heart Attack Awareness Campaign please contact Ailish Houlihan, Croí Nurse on 094-9049172 or email [email protected]
