{"id":238,"date":"2026-10-07T18:27:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T18:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/?p=238"},"modified":"2026-10-07T18:27:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T18:27:06","slug":"why-your-brain-forgets-cpr-and-how-to-make-the-skill-stick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/education\/why-your-brain-forgets-cpr-and-how-to-make-the-skill-stick\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Brain Forgets CPR, and How to Make the Skill Stick"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You took a CPR course a couple of years ago. You passed. You got the card. Now picture someone collapsing in front of you at the grocery store. Could you remember where to put your hands? How fast to push? When to give breaths? For a lot of people, the honest answer is &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure.&#8221; That isn&#8217;t a character flaw. It&#8217;s how memory works. The good news is that learning science offers simple ways to make the skill last, and a course like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.c2cfirstaidaquatics.com\/north-york-facility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WSIB-approved Coast2Coast first aid in North York<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is only the starting point.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s look at why skills fade, and what you can do about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Do We Forget Skills We Don&#8217;t Use?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your brain is efficient. It holds on to what you use often and lets the rest slip away. Think about a language you studied in high school, or a math formula you memorized for a test. If you haven&#8217;t used them since, they&#8217;ve probably gone fuzzy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Researchers sometimes call this &#8220;use it or lose it.&#8221; Memories that get recalled again and again grow stronger. Memories that sit untouched get harder to reach over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CPR is a tricky case. Most people, thankfully, never have to use it. That means the skill doesn&#8217;t get the regular practice that keeps other memories sharp. You might learn it well on a Saturday, then not think about it again for years.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Is the Forgetting Curve?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The forgetting curve is an old idea in psychology. In general terms, it describes how quickly we lose new information after we first learn it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pattern goes something like this:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right after learning, your memory of the material is strong.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the next days and weeks, a lot of it fades quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then the drop slows down, and what&#8217;s left tends to stick around longer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key insight is that <\/span><b>reviewing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the material resets the curve. Each time you go back and practise, the memory gets stronger and fades more slowly the next time. That&#8217;s why one class, by itself, usually isn&#8217;t enough to keep a skill fresh for years.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Can&#8217;t You Learn CPR Just by Reading About It?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s a big difference between knowing about something and being able to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowing that adult chest compressions should happen at <\/span><b>100 to 120 per minute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, at least 5 cm deep, is useful information. But doing compressions at that speed and depth, on a real body, while your heart is racing, is a physical skill. It lives in a different part of your memory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Motor skills, like riding a bike or typing, are learned through the body. They need:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hands-on repetition.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You have to actually do the movement, many times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Feedback.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Someone, or something, needs to tell you if you&#8217;re too slow, too shallow or not letting the chest come back up.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Correction.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You adjust, try again and slowly build the right &#8220;feel.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That&#8217;s why practice on a manikin matters so much. Many manikins and instructors can show you right away whether your compressions are deep enough and fast enough. Without that feedback, it&#8217;s easy to practise the wrong thing and not know it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Does Retrieval Practice Help?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s one of the most useful ideas in learning science: <\/span><b>pulling information out of your memory strengthens it more than putting it back in.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rereading notes feels productive, but it&#8217;s fairly passive. Quizzing yourself is harder, and that effort is exactly what helps the memory stick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For CPR, retrieval practice might look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Close your eyes and walk through the steps out loud. Check the scene. Check the person. Call 911. Get an AED. Start compressions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask yourself, &#8220;What&#8217;s the compression-to-breath ratio for trained rescuers?&#8221; (It&#8217;s 30 to 2.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explain the steps to a friend or family member without looking anything up.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you get stuck, that&#8217;s fine. The struggle to remember is part of what makes the memory stronger.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Is Spaced Practice Better Than Cramming?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cramming everything into one long session can help you pass a test the next day. It doesn&#8217;t do much for remembering something a year later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Spaced practice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> means spreading your review out over time. A few minutes this month, a few more next month, and so on. Each session catches the memory just as it starts to fade and pulls it back up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is why short, regular refreshers work better than waiting for your official renewal. First aid certificates for Ontario workplaces are valid for three years. That&#8217;s a long gap. A quick review every few months fits the way your brain actually learns.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Does Practising Under Pressure Make a Difference?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can. Real emergencies are stressful. Your hands may shake. Your mind may go blank. People around you may be shouting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you only practise in calm, quiet conditions, you may find the skill harder to use under stress. Practising with a little pressure, like a timer, a surprise scenario or a coach calling out changes, helps your brain get used to performing when things feel tense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This doesn&#8217;t mean scaring yourself. It means adding a bit of realism. Even just practising in front of others, rather than alone, can help.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Can You Practise CPR in Your Head?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, and it&#8217;s surprisingly useful. <\/span><b>Mental rehearsal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> means picturing yourself going through a skill, step by step, in as much detail as you can.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try this: imagine walking into your kitchen and finding someone on the floor. See yourself checking if they&#8217;re responsive. Hear yourself telling someone to call 911 and grab an AED. Feel your hands locking together in the centre of the chest. Count the compressions in your head.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mental rehearsal won&#8217;t replace hands-on practice. But it&#8217;s free, takes a minute or two and keeps the sequence familiar between real sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Does Blended Learning Work So Well?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many first aid courses now use <\/span><b>blended learning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You complete the theory portion online, at your own pace, and then attend an in-class session focused on hands-on skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From a learning point of view, this makes a lot of sense:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Online theory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets you go back over tricky parts as often as you want. You can pause, rewind and quiz yourself.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>In-class skills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> give you the hands-on repetition and instructor feedback that motor skills need.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Splitting the two<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> means some natural spacing between learning the &#8220;what&#8221; and practising the &#8220;how.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also respects your time. Instead of a long day of lectures, you spend class time actually doing the skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Does This Mean for Ontario Workplaces?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For workers in Ontario, CPR and first aid aren&#8217;t just personal skills. They can be part of the job.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><b>WSIB Regulation 1101<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a shift with five or fewer workers needs at least one person trained in Basic First Aid. A shift with six or more workers needs at least one person trained in Intermediate First Aid. In June 2026, Ontario aligned its course names with the national CSA Z1210:24 standard, so Emergency First Aid is now called Basic First Aid and Standard First Aid is now called Intermediate First Aid. The thresholds didn&#8217;t change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employers also need a first aid station with a stocked kit, posted names and certificates of trained workers, and the WSIB &#8220;In Case of Injury at Work&#8221; poster. And under Ontario&#8217;s Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers must take every reasonable precaution to protect workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A WSIB-compliant certificate checks the legal box. But as the learning science shows, a certificate alone doesn&#8217;t guarantee the skill will be there when it&#8217;s needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Can Teams Keep Skills Fresh?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Workplaces can use the same learning ideas on a bigger scale:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Run short drills.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A ten-minute mock emergency once a quarter keeps everyone sharp.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rotate roles.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Have different people practise calling 911, doing compressions and fetching the AED.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Do quick quizzes.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A few questions at a team meeting work as retrieval practice.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Know where the AED is.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Walk new hires past it on their first day.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Book renewals early.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Don&#8217;t wait for certificates to expire.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to set up training or refreshers for yourself or your team, you can look into options with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.c2cfirstaidaquatics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coast2Coast First Aid &amp; Aquatics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and plan sessions that fit around work schedules.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Is It Worth the Effort?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because the stakes are real. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, an estimated <\/span><b>60,000 cardiac arrests<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> happen outside of hospitals in Canada every year, and only about one in 10 people survive. Doing CPR and using an AED can double a person&#8217;s chance of survival.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your brain will forget things. That&#8217;s normal. But with a bit of spaced practice, some self-quizzing and a refresher now and then, CPR can become a skill you trust instead of one you hope you remember.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are looking for CPR and first aid training near Steeles Avenue West and Yonge Street, along the North York, Thornhill and Vaughan border, or surrounding areas, you may reach out to Coast2Coast First Aid &amp; Aquatics in that area.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Frequently Asked Questions<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Q: Why do people forget CPR so quickly?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>A: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CPR is a skill most people rarely use. Memories that aren&#8217;t recalled tend to fade over time, especially physical skills that need hands-on practice to stay sharp.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q: What is retrieval practice?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>A: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retrieval practice means pulling information out of your memory, such as quizzing yourself or explaining steps out loud. This effort makes the memory stronger than simply rereading notes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q: How often should I refresh my CPR skills?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>A: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ontario workplace first aid certificates are valid for three years, but skills can fade much sooner. A short review or drill every few months helps keep them fresh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q: Why is blended learning effective for first aid?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>A: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blended learning pairs online theory, which you can review at your own pace, with in-class hands-on practice and instructor feedback. That mix suits how both knowledge and motor skills are learned.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q: What first aid training do Ontario workplaces need?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>A: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under WSIB Regulation 1101, shifts of five or fewer workers need at least one person with Basic First Aid, and shifts of six or more need at least one person with Intermediate First Aid.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You took a CPR course a couple of years ago. You passed. You got the card. Now picture someone collapsing in front of you at the grocery store. Could you remember where to put your hands? How fast to push? When to give breaths? For a lot of people, the honest answer is &#8220;I&#8217;m not &#8230; <a title=\"Why Your Brain Forgets CPR, and How to Make the Skill Stick\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/education\/why-your-brain-forgets-cpr-and-how-to-make-the-skill-stick\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why Your Brain Forgets CPR, and How to Make the Skill Stick\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240,"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238\/revisions\/240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menuatwendys.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}