Helped - I had fallen and couldn't get up

[amoLucia]

Yep - it happened!!! And there I was, sitting on the floor in the middle of my living room. I was maybe 7 feet from my phone and maybe 12 feet from my front door - NEITHER of which could I reach as I wondered what to do next. And then I pushed the button on my ALERT alarm necklace. Had to.

I'm a big girl, a BIG girl, and I know my weight has contributed to the total degradation of my knees (and being a nurse on my feet for 35+ years surely hadn't helped). I need bilateral knee replacements but that's not a possibility at this time. So I am totally dependent on a walker for ambulation - I can use a cane for really short distances. But otherwise, I have to hold onto something for support.

Hadn't had any incidents ever since I got my alarm. In the middle of my living room, on a flat, unobstructed surface my feet tangled? up and zigged while my walker zagged. There's nothing to keep a walker stable on its 4 legs when one is falling. I reached out to break my fall by grabbing on a living-room chair, but it's a recliner and the chair back MOVES. So I went down, forward, on my knees, and then belly flat. The walker smacked my forehead, but as sheer torture, my left knee fell directly on a walker leg (AGONY!).

I flip-rolled myself to sitting upright and determined nothing to be broken or lacerated. But HOW to get up??? I tried twice going back on my knees to boost myself up. But NO WAY!!!

NO WAY in Hades could my knees/legs do it. Even if I shimmied to my phone, whom am I going to call at midnite??? I'm single, by myself, no BF or strong sons to help. And my neighbors are older than I am. And I don't want to further hurt myself, or anyone else.

So there I am, sitting on the floor. No alternative but to use the ALERT alarm. Emergency help arrived quickly. With a 'one, two, three, LIFT' I was levitated using a canvas poly-vinyl lift sheet (like a draw sheet with heavy duty canvas grips) to a sturdy chair. I grabbed my walker and did a tentative slow walk moving OK, so a trip to the hospital not nec.

Embarrassing, quite.

Purpose of this post - seriously think Emergency Alarm Alert system for any of your at risk grandparents, parents, siblings, spouses, maybe yourselves. I NEVER thought of myself as being SOOOOOO vulnerable, esp as I realized that I was UNABLE to upright myself. Think about it --- really visualize someone you know sitting/laying on the floor - like your overweight in-law who now has been injured. Will s/he be on the floor, unattended for hours? How can they be helped?

I comment that those alarm systems are also used for unwanted intruders, fires, domestic abusers, medical emergencies (think choking, chest pain, seizures, hypoglycemia attacks, etc). There's different models avail. Most seem to cost about $30/month and require a land-line phone. I do direct auto-pay so I don't even think about the cost. I just test it monthly.

I know many will deny the alarm need and even fight you to resist. Try schmoozing them into a 6 month trial/dry run. And do auto -pay. They even make an emergency next-of-kin notification for you.

As much as I'm a strong advocate for nursing malpractice insurance, I strongly encourage the use of an Alert alarm system for those at risk. Even if I never ever need it again, it served its purpose Monday nite. Kind of like Triple A when you get a flat tire only this may be life saving.

[Nurse Leigh]

Sorry that you fell but relieved nothing broken and that you had the means to summon help. ((Hugs))

[abbnurse]

That must've been very scary! Great idea about the Alert alarm system. And I'm glad you're o.k.

[Farawyn]

I'm glad you are ultimately okay. My mom has one. It was my Dad's, he has MS. He used to press it when my mom wouldn't let him watch the movie he wanted to, no joke.

He's in a rehab right now, and mom has the Life Alert.

[rnICU303, BSN, CNA, RN]

I am so glad you were able to get help. I've taken care of patients who had been down at home for DAYS. Agh.

[Mulan]

Things happen, at least you weren't lying prone on a moving treadmill!

Guess it would come in handy for a lot of things.

How did they get in your house? Do you leave your door unlocked?

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

My sister & I tried to talk our dad into getting one of these back in about 2012. One interesting things we found out is that there's one brand that doesn't require a landline phone. I can't remember now which one it was but that was a concern because he no longer had a land line, only cell phone.

[Lulu Belle, RN, EMT-B]

I went on a call few months back where a 90+ year old woman fell down the steps in her front yard. It took her 4 hours to crawl back up the steps into her house, where she finally called 911. And it was close to 100 degrees that day. Ugh. Definitely a case where one of those systems would have saved someone from a lot of pain and suffering.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I have one as well. I'm fortunate to live with my parents, but there were two times that we had to call EMS. One time I had to go to the hospital, and the other time they just had to help me up.

Many years ago, I fell down the steps and had a fracture. No one was home, so I had to drag myself to the phone and call 911. The 911 operator was a jerk. She said I sounded too young to need an ambulance. Finally I had to yell at her and say, "Lady, my foot looks like an eggplant, and it's pointing in a direction that is not natural. I need an ambulance." A few hours later, I was in surgery to repair the fracture.

[Karou]

Wow, I am so sorry this happened and so very glad that you are okay now!

I love life alert. I have had several patients who were saved after a fall only because they were able to use it... There was no way they would have been able to get to a phone.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

Glad you are alright.

[Glycerine82, LPN]

I'm so sorry you had that experience! How scary and mortifying, but thank you for sharing.

Have to say, I 1000000% second encouraging older folks to get an alert!!

My completely A&O independent 93 y/o grandfather just had a "horrific fall" in his kitchen. Took out all the cabinets on his way down and he died a couple of hours later in the ER, alone.

He had shattered his pelvis and done a lot of damage to his chest, had to lay there until someone came by to check on him. Thankfully it was the same evening, we're not sure how many hours.

Can't even tell you how devastated we all are at the way it all happened. He refused an alert and refused assistance. He had severe osteoporosis and broken vertebra in his back but otherwise was totally healthy. I HATE that he suffered.