On 3/5/2014 12:50 PM, Judith Latham wrote:
In article , Cheryl
wrote:
On 2014-03-05 3:17 PM, Joy wrote:
On 3/5/2014 8:37 AM, jmcquown wrote:
On 3/4/2014 9:03 PM, Joy wrote:
On 3/4/2014 5:10 PM, Mike Mayers wrote:
I wonder how Tweed was able to summon help after she fell. I
always carry an emergency dialer that will let me call 911 if i'm
in trouble. Anybody that lives alone should have that kind of help.


Yes, I have a "Lifeline" button I wear around my neck. I also keep
my cell phone in my pocket.

Joy

Somewhere I wrote down the name of the unit Mike said he has. It's
not a pay-by-the month monitored setup. Seems to me it worked with
your landline and you program in up to five numbers to call when you
push the button. Mike? Tell me what it was again?

Cell phones just don't work well where I live. (*Nothing* wireless
works well here.) I did have a cell phone when I was travelling a
lot. Once I got here, I found I couldn't get a signal unless I walked
outside, often to the end of the driveway. That's not very helpful
if you've hurt yourself.

The security system in the house does have an emergency button which
is connected to the gate. But you have to be able to get to the
panel to hit the button.

Jill

Lifeline connects to the local hospital through my land line. There
is a unit in my bedroom. The button will work anywhere on my
property, even outside. After about a minute, someone from the
hospital responds through the bedroom unit, asking if I need help. If
I can get into the bedroom to explain the situation, I do. (I'm also
supposed to test it once a month, and I just say I'm testing and they
reset from their end, and I push the reset button on the unit.) If I
don't respond, they call my contact people and send somebody out.
Part of the paperwork included names and phone numbers of family
members and anyone who has a key. My next door neighbor has a key,
because her grandson feeds my cats when I'm away. I haven't needed it
yet, but it gives a great feeling of security, especially since I can
also wear the button in the shower.

Joy

These systems are a great idea. My late mother refused to consider one;
said she couldn't use a cell phone and rarely if ever carried her
portable phone with her. The inevitable happened - she had a fall,
probably in the early morning, and no one knew what happened until I
showed up for a visit hours later. No bones broken, but she was so badly
affected she spent quite a while in hospital being checked out and then
trying to recover her strength, balance and nerve (since she was so
scared of another fall). In some ways, she never fully recovered. When
the hospital was ready to discharge her, we persuaded her to move from
her apartment, hopefully temporarily, so that someone would be available
in the night if - actually, when - she fell again, but in spite of the
additional help, she never recovered her previous level of independance.

When my mother moved to a sheltered housing flat she had one of those
buttons which linked through her telephone line. The flat didn't have a
resident warden just pull cords to link to the housing association help
line.

She only used the button once when a man who was one of her neighbours and
who got confused which was his flat was banging on her door to be let in
as he thought it was his flat. She used the button and they rang her phone
to check what the problem was and sent round the police.

The flat she's in now has someone usually there (they live in) to answer
the pull cord and she's used it a few times when she has fallen, not hurt
just needed help to get up. On the last occasion the warden wasn't in and
it went through to the housing association help desk. They sent round a
paramedic who picked her up and gave her a thorough check over.

I think anyone living alone whatever their age should have one of those
buttons. I would get one somehow if I was alone.

Judith

I agree. There is enough variations that anybody ought to be able to
find the one that suits them.

Joy