Apparatus (1, 50) according to the invention for assisting a user during cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a patient (40), which comprises a force transmission unit (10) with a lower plate (11) that can be placed on the patients chest (40), an upper plate (12) located at a distance from the lower plate (11), and a force sensor (13) arranged between the lower plate (11) and the upper plate (12) for detecting a force that can be exerted on the patients chest (40) by means of the upper plate (12) and the lower plate (11), an indicator device for generating at least one signal that can be perceived by the user, and an electronic control device for controlling the indicator device based on the force detected by the force sensor, wherein the force transmission unit (10) is embedded in a flexible mat (2).
