Piper Shores Donates Portable Defibrillator to Scarborough Poice Department

Scarborough, Maine, June 23, 2008

Piper Shores, Maine’s first and only nonprofit lifecare retirement community, announced today, the donation of a new, Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for officers patrolling Scarborough using the department’s Harley Davidson motorcycle. An AED is a portable electronic device that diagnoses potentially life-threatening cardiac episodes and can treat it through defibrillation, which is the application of electrical therapy that allows the heart to reestablish its normal rhythm. The AED purchased by Piper Shores is called the LifePak CR Plus and is made by Medtronic, the world leader in medical technology.

“There is what’s called a ‘Golden Hour’ which is a window of time where, if victims can receive the proper treatment, the odds of surviving are greatly increased,” said Scarborough Police Chief, Robbie Moulton. “We are all very grateful to Piper Shores for this generous donation. There’s no doubt in my mind that this unit will save a life someday.”

Currently, each one of the police cruisers in Scarborough is equipped with AEDs. They have been used in at least five ‘saves’ in which an officer was able to stabilize a person with cardiac distress. Since police officers are often the first responders to an emergency scene, it’s critical that they are able to perform triage medical treatment until the EMTs arrive. This will be the first AED in the department that is small enough to fit in the side -mounted saddlebags of the patrol motorcycle.

Because of its high level of visibility it affords the officers and its fuel efficiency, Scarborough’s police motorcycle is expected to see a lot of use this summer. Leased every year since 1999, the customized Harley Davidson is the centerpiece of community relation’s efforts during the spring and summer months. Often, motorcycle officers are able to access locations where police cruisers cannot go, because of their smaller size. With the addition of the AED, motorcycle officers will now be just as prepared to handle a cardiac distress call as their cruiser colleagues.

“It was a matter of time before the first one on the scene was a motorcycle officer who would not be equipped to handle a cardiac emergency,” said Sergeant John O’Malley of the Scarborough Police Department. “Having an AED on the bike will eliminate that potentially life threatening situation.”

“Fostering a positive relationship with all of the public services in our community is an important part of the Piper Shores mission,” said Deb Riddell, Executive Director at Piper Shores. “We’re proud to be able to provide this very useful device to the Scarborough Police Department.”.

About Piper Shores
Piper Shores is the only nonprofit lifecare retirement community in Maine. Built in 2001 in a style that complements Maine’s architectural heritage, Piper Shores is located on 138 acres of beautiful oceanfront property, situated between Higgins Beach and historic Prouts Neck in Scarborough, Maine. Piper Shores is an innovative retirement community that promotes the long term wellbeing of its residents through a continuum of activities and lifecare services. Piper Shores residents enjoy active, independent lifestyles with guaranteed priority access to on-site assisted living and skilled nursing care, whenever they may need it.

Piper Shores is owned by Maine Life Care Retirement Community, Inc., a Maine nonprofit organization, formed by a group of accomplished local individuals to deliver the shared vision of creating an ideal retirement community on the coast of Maine.

For more information, visit http://www.pipershores.com or call 207-510-5211.