What do you do if you are alone and you fall?

[bigstack]

YES!! The medical alert systems are great! They saved my Granny more than once. There was only a few times she pressed the button on accident but it is great to know some one is close. At first she hated the thought of having to admit she needed it. We had to keep prodding her to wear it. Finally to get us all to shut up she put it on. It was set up to call The eldest children first. After calling to check on her (phone and intercom). They would call my Dad or uncles. If she was in an actual emergency they would call 911 Then family. If she just needed assistance ( fall or ill) they would call family/neighbors. The system is very adaptable. and well worth the peace of mind. ( on every one) She was saved from heart attack x2, Fire once, intruders x3, and fell numerous times. It saved her life! I also am a volenteer fireman. I would rather go to some ones house to help them up or to check on them. Rather than have to go and pick up their body with the coroner. It is better to have and never use, Than to need and never have!
PLEASE!!! Every one, swallow your pride and get an assistance system.
It's a GREAT peace of mind for all involved.
Most are payed for by MEDicaid/Medicare
Thank You for the thread, God Bless!

 

[IggiMom]

Kelly, you sound like such a neat person. I just LOVE the image of you being with your Mom in Law wrapping Christmas presents on the floor!

Catherine

 

[Kelly G]

You know, Catherine, it's one of my favorite memories...we actually talked, wrapped, laughed, and made the best of a difficult situation. We sat in front of her fireplace with the Christmas tree. The picture is fixed in my heart and mind forever.

I know why my husband turned out to be such a good man - it was no accident.

I send you another big hug!

 

[fancbrd4me02]

We had a longtime family friend who did not have a medical alert or a cell phone and she fell and broke her hip and ended up laying on the ground for 2 days until my mother stopped by to check on her. Later this same lady suffered a stroke in bed and could not summon help and was alone the whole weekend before her housekeeper found her. She was a stubborn woman who refused to carry a device of any kind because she was afraid of people spying on her. I wish she would have used a med alert, it would have been so much better for her. Please get a medical alert if so you don't have to wait for someone to help you.

 

[IggiMom]

Quote:
Gosh. I guess.

I am stubborn, but to tell the truth, I am not really worried about people spying on me.

I don't do anything interesting enough.

Catherine

 

[bargain]

Definitely would try med alert. I once got stuckbetween the washer and dryer trying to clean behind both. Never in my wildest could I do that again.....I wouldn't fit. Well I knocked the dryer over in the midst of getting out of there and then I crushed my foot....It was a bad bad bad situation. My favorite other way that I hurt myself was that I literally fell face down on the farm while running to chase a chicken....not good........... Not trying to hijack you by any means...just want you to get away of getting in touch with people......

Take care and have a blessed evening.

 

[wildorchid053]

my mother in law lived in calif alone and we are in ny.. she had fallen and broken her hip and it was 3 days that she had laid there with no help.. she was a mess.. you can't go to the bathroom.. you can't eat or drink or clean yourself.. i wish she had gotten a medic alert button.. it was an awful experience.. we made her move here with us and move in till she passed away..

 

[Chick_a_dee]

You know, I could deal with falling at home.. My most frightening fall was at work when I worked at a stable. The stable refused to put down sand or salt on the icey pathes and I was leading a flighty arab when we BOTH slipped and fell. I did something to my back and it hasn't been the same since, I'm only 21 and some days it hurts so much getting out of bed that my mum has to come pull me up because its like I'm paralized.

 

[IggiMom]

Thank you for all the kind answers. At the moment, I am doing a sort of compromise. I got a Jitterbug, and my husband did too, and we are both keeping them on and on our persons all the time.

In fact, I have ordered an apron with big big pockets from someone on this list for that purpose, and sometimes I use a lanyard around my neck.

John uses a belt clip with his.

Those Jitterbugs are NEAT! They are simple to use, they have big bright numbers, they have readily available customer service with no menu system that is totally based in the US. We both really like ours, and I never thought I would get John to use a cell phone.

It is so much easier than Tracphone to use, and, when I tried to add minutes to my Tracphone, through a series of glitches, I was on the phone 3 1/2 hours before I gave up and got a Jitterbug instead.

My gosh. Three days. I was down on the floor 1 to 2 hours, I'm not sure now, and I thought that was awful.

That is great that you took her home.

Catherine

 

[Terri O]

Catherine, and any other folks here that have this problem and are alone: I am a person that helps the elderly and disabled that still live in their own homes. I call myself a "Life Manager." I am so glad when my clients have the life alert system! Everyone has described it fairly well. (but I believe you have to have an open phone connection for the operators to actually hear anything) One of my tasks is to check the system monthly, not just to make sure it is working, but to also make sure that the people know how to use it! The most disheartening thing to find coming into a person's home is them lying on the floor, unable to move and not knowing to push the button (or not being able to!)!
Catherine, you are still young yet so I am sure you have your faculties about you to use your Jitterbug! But what if you were in the shower? Slippery and naked with water pouring down on you, probably turning to cold if your place is anything like my farm!

Please consider a back up for those times. Also if you are even a little bit "knocked out" it is very easy to push the button on the lanyard or on the wrist model. (Even easier than the Jitterbug!)
Terri O in WI