Resident brings peace of mind to his local retirement community

When retired engineer, Michael Newcombe moved into Blue Haven Retirement Village in Kiama, NSW, he and his son, a local Emergency Doctor, were concerned by the lack of life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on site. With 9% of all sudden cardiac arrests occurring in aged care facilities, and the nearest defibrillator located at least 5 minutes away by car, they decided to do something about it.

Driven by both his extensive engineering background and personal experience with heart issues, Michael took matters into his own hands. His first step was to raise his concerns with the village committee, survey the resident’s needs and conduct some initial research on the number and approximate cost of AEDs for the village. But at a cost ranging from $1500 - $3000 each, multiple AEDs were just too expensive.

Based on the geographic layout and size of the village, Michael discovered it would need 16 devices to ensure an AED was accessible within less than 2 minutes from any resident on the property. As Michael knows, with every minute that passes, the chance of survival reduces greatly.

Undeterred, Michael continued his research until he came across CellAED^®. In his words, “they seemed too good to be true”. Not only was he impressed by the innovative engineering, but it was also very affordable, particularly with the CellAED for life™ Membership.

“Having CellAED for life™ gives all of us peace of mind because we know that each defibrillator on site will always be in working order. Plus, the devices are replaced if used or if they expire, free of charge,” stated Michael.

Initially Michael purchased a CellAED^®, CellAED TRAINER™, and CellAED WALL MOUNT™. Michael used the CellAED TRAINER™ to present the functionality of the device to the village committee as a solution to their AED needs.

Convinced of its effectiveness, he gained support from the residents and secured partial funding from Kiama Council to cover the costs. “Council generously chipped in a couple of thousand dollars, and the rest has been funded by the residents,” explained Michael. Through his collaborative efforts, Michael managed to get the 16 defibrillators the village needed, now located on all four floors, in all four buildings.

This community’s story is a testament to the impact one person’s dedication can have on an entire community’s well-being.

Since being introduced to the Blue Haven Retirement Village, not only does the community have peace of mind, but the residents have also invested in additional CellAED^® defibrillators for their caravans, family and friends.