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.
Purposeof 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.
To all of you who offered me well wishes, I say 'thank you'. One week+ later, I have some really nasty looking ecchymoses and some are in spots that I didn't even realize that I had injured. And I torqued my left elbow, big time.
Mulan asked - with alert systems, the security company makes the 911 call to your local responders. Even if all you were able to do was just to press the button (as in you were too injured or too far away from your base to communicate), they will initiate the response call to your 911. The alarm companies usually offer a padlock-like key system for getting inside your residence. The padlock on your front doorknob has your preset, 'magic' code that 911 punches in and then removes the front door key to enter.
My alarm base unit is pretty much equi-distant in my condo from my front door to my back bedroom. It was 'lucky' that I fell in the LR and NOT my BR (or my bathroom with a closed door) because a system failure occurred that nite. The 911 responder got stuck at my door, not having my 'magic' code with which to use (it was communicated when they were called, I checked with the alarm folk). 911 yelled in to me and I was able to yell back out to her my # and they got in. THAT should NOT have occurred.
I'm still following up to remedy this failure - I don't want it to happen to anyone else. I was A&O and able to respond to 911; other fallen or injured victims may not have been able to give their #. 911 would have had to break in somehow.
I've learned that most systems are active in the immediate inside home area. I think I'm going to test my system outside to see how far the signal reaches. There are some new systems that advertise that someone can be anywhere outside and still do an emergency call (uses GPS?). There's even a new system out there that can measure when you fall, don't move anymore, and DO NOT signal (must be like recording a tremor somehow?).
Couldn't call anyone even if I could have reached my phone - couldn't reach it. This is an automatic service the alarm company will do. They called my sisters at home (but they were on vaca). They then called on the cells of middle sister, then baby sister to make contact.
And besides the physicality issue of my fall, it could have been worse. I had been using the oven to make biscuits and a banana bread just a few hours earlier. Oh great, cause a fire !!!
I repeat my entreaty that any readers here seriously think about an alarm system for a vulnerable Sig Other. I KNOW I have mobility issues, but never in a million years did I imagine myself to be soooo physically unable to get myself get up. That was very surprising, sobering & frightening. It is equally sobering & frightening to know that there was NO ONE avail at that time to help either. Guys, I've got to tell you - that I've been shaken to the core by this fall.
I have found myself being more cautious post-fall. I'm moving more deliberately with increased awareness for other safety issues - like I'm watching myself as I would for any of my pts. It's been a real eye-opener.
To those of you that have had a personal experience (or for some SO), you know what I'm talking about. The horror stories are out there. Alarm systems are for other emergencies too. Choking and chest pain come to mind quickly. Fire. Intruders. And living with a spouse/offspring does NOT immunize one against potential danger.
I knew I had risk issues when I got my system 5 years ago, but 'who'd thunk it'. I'm NOT of retirement or Medicare age yet. But I have a new
awareness of my place in the big cosmos.
And to Glycerine - my condolences for the loss of your grandfather.
Gosh, honey, I hate to hear it. So sorry for your loss, how long ago was it?
Just happened. Aug. 27th. Almost didn't make it through the semester from the shock but mostly missing an entire week, but I pulled it off by the skin of my teeth. I miss him.
@Glycerine.....so sorry about the loss of your grandfather...that's just heartbreaking. (((((hugs))))
Thank you. I wasn't trying to hi-jack the thread, just wanted to ditto the OP in the serious need for alerts. He wouldn't have lived, but he wouldn't' have suffered as much.
I have hydrocephalus and epilepsy, and my husband travels a lot for work. Some kind of alert system is on my to-do list, but right now we really can't afford it. If I passed out while hubby was gone, I'd just have to wait to come to before calling 911. Fortunately, the seizures are well-controlled with meds, and shunt failure's a rare occurrence (17 surgeries in 43 yrs). I am signed up with MedicAlert, but I'm damned if I can find my bracelet. Keeping my fingers crossed!
I'm so glad you wrote this article. I have been thinking about getting one of the medical alert systems. I recently fell in my backyard and fractured my R ankle. Luckily it was the tibia. I landed on my L ankle which sprained. I laid there a bit assessing my condition to see if anything else was going on (checking for blood pools - LOL) I live alone as I am a widow. My daughter lives about 15 to 20 minutes away. My son lives about 30 minutes away. I had no cell phone with me. After crying for a while I managed to crawl/slither my way back up the 4 steps I had fallen down open the screen door and then the inside door and over to the table where my cell phone was. Luckily I was able to reach my daughter who came over to help. Long story short, I wondered what would have happened if I hadn't been able to get back to my phone. How long would I have lain out in my yard? I need to look into these devices with a more serious mind. Again, thanks for sharing!!!
I had a home health patient who used a walker and had an alert, but he had taken off the alert to take a shower. He had all the stuff in the shower (treads, grab bars, etc.) but as he was getting out, he managed to fall crosswise (don't ask me how!) and of course h had taken his alert off to take the shower. He was stuck there for two hours until his niece who lived with him came home, and she couldn't get him out so had to call EMS to get him out. You had better believe I read him the riot act about taking a shower with no one home with him! He was very lucky he didn't break anything. After that he actually agreed to have a home health aide come and help him with his shower for awhile and I got an order for PT to teach him safe transfer techniques for getting out of the shower!
Amolucia I am sorry that happened to you and I cant imagine how scary that must have been for you.
Glycerine, I am sorry about your Grandfather. It is heart wrenching to lose a loved one to a fall.
I just want to mention that the Life Alert business is a cash machine for someone who wants to get into sales. It requires generating referrals from case managers . State Medicaid contracts are also another source of revenue. Installation just requires plugging the base unit into a landline and client teaching. A friend kind of fell into this business when his Father needed a unit and the service was not available in our area. He has over a thousand customers in three states just from a little networking and advertising in the local papers.
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.
Purposeof 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.
I bought my 80ish mother a cell phone and told her "keep it on you at ALL times!" Did she? Rebellious NO! She fell tripping over her pitbull while trying to put a harness on him (HIS legs were failing, it turns out, from feeding him soy based dog food, in his already birth defected state, couldn't handle that- after feeding him meat based food, he was able to walk again while Mom was in the hospital). Anyway, she had been in the habit of keeping this phone turned off and sitting on her dresser. She took 2 hours to crawl to it and knock it down with a stick to use it- no glasses, didn't know she had called me- was going deaf too, didn't hear me as I tried to talk. I called 911 and drove 2 hours down the canyon to her house. Broke her hip, didn't believe the doctor, as she realized it was her leg (femur) not her hip. Her definition different from textbook. She thought her hip was her pelvis. silly girl.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
Heh, I remember when I fell and got wedged under my desk. I called my daughter and said: "I've fallen and can't get up." I heard laughter on the other end. Then she asked me if I really did fall, I told her I was wedged under my desk and needed help to get out. By the time my SIL arrived, I had managed to wiggle around until I got myself free.
Thanks folk for reinforcing my concerns re such vulnerability for at risk people out there (self included). The horror stories ARE out there; we all pretty much know of someone so involved. The saddest cases are the ones when the wearer REMOVES the monitor for whatever reason.
My system is 5 yrs old; back then, my knee buckled as I stepped into my shower (I WAS USING a grab-bar) and I slammed my other leg on the bathtub ridge. I recognized my knee status could only decline so I had a system installed within 3 days. I have a sliding bath seat in the tub - I can stand & hold on OK once in. But I won't one-leggedly weight-bear in the bathroom.
It's amazing how one needs to adapt and change by either adding or deleting (or refraining) activities.
Since I'm home now, I've thought of getting a cat. But safety sake tells me NO - I don't want to trip up with a cat. I don't want to hurt myself or hurt the cat. I'm trying to figure out how to carry a phone extension with me - the problem is keeping the cell continually charged
I've re-arranged my kitchen shelves having brought down all the 3rd shelf high-up items. I do a computer Shop-from-Home program. I send a computer shopping list (for a fee) and they deliver my order (fee). Every couple weeks, I have a big order - Harry (and now Joshua) come in with the bags and I tip him.
I must move my furniture; need to move the recliner (with movable back) with a sofa that will be more stationary.
To Ruby - if you already have a home security system like ADT, they have the Companion Service (that I signed up with). Costs for systems are about $30/month - like 5 fancy, schmancy coffees at Starbucks.
At times, my necklace gets in the way. I once triggered a false-alarm when the button got squished between 'the girls' while I was in bed. And I've squashed it into the kitchen counter and into my table. But the Company techs are cool. I hope I don't need to use it again, but I do know it does what it advertises to do.
Even if one other person who gets a system and then has an episode in which it served its purpose, then I'd be relieved.
I fell between my deck & house once. The contractor didn't secure the deck to the house like they're supposed to do. When the deck settled....in poorly mixed concrete (and too little of it), I slipped between the deck & the house!
At least it was just my left leg & not my neck. But, I learned to take my cell phone with me everywhere & to not be afraid to call 911 if you fall & can't get up. My fall could've been MUCH worse than it was. I ended up with a severely bruised leg that made wearing socks difficult for about 3 months. I'm thankful it wasn't worse.
I had a patient once who had a heart attack & then a stroke in the doorway of their home. Heart attack suggested by 911 (without hitting send) on phone when it was charged back up. She'd been there for 4 days before someone called & asked police to do drive by & see why hadn't showed up for her shifts. Makes you wonder if being from a small town is what saved her? I've worked places that didn't even CALL if you didn't show up! Just covered it & went on....
amoLucia
7,736 Posts
To all of you who offered me well wishes, I say 'thank you'. One week+ later, I have some really nasty looking ecchymoses and some are in spots that I didn't even realize that I had injured. And I torqued my left elbow, big time.
Mulan asked - with alert systems, the security company makes the 911 call to your local responders. Even if all you were able to do was just to press the button (as in you were too injured or too far away from your base to communicate), they will initiate the response call to your 911. The alarm companies usually offer a padlock-like key system for getting inside your residence. The padlock on your front doorknob has your preset, 'magic' code that 911 punches in and then removes the front door key to enter.
My alarm base unit is pretty much equi-distant in my condo from my front door to my back bedroom. It was 'lucky' that I fell in the LR and NOT my BR (or my bathroom with a closed door) because a system failure occurred that nite. The 911 responder got stuck at my door, not having my 'magic' code with which to use (it was communicated when they were called, I checked with the alarm folk). 911 yelled in to me and I was able to yell back out to her my # and they got in. THAT should NOT have occurred.
I'm still following up to remedy this failure - I don't want it to happen to anyone else. I was A&O and able to respond to 911; other fallen or injured victims may not have been able to give their #. 911 would have had to break in somehow.
I've learned that most systems are active in the immediate inside home area. I think I'm going to test my system outside to see how far the signal reaches. There are some new systems that advertise that someone can be anywhere outside and still do an emergency call (uses GPS?). There's even a new system out there that can measure when you fall, don't move anymore, and DO NOT signal (must be like recording a tremor somehow?).
Couldn't call anyone even if I could have reached my phone - couldn't reach it. This is an automatic service the alarm company will do. They called my sisters at home (but they were on vaca). They then called on the cells of middle sister, then baby sister to make contact.
And besides the physicality issue of my fall, it could have been worse. I had been using the oven to make biscuits and a banana bread just a few hours earlier. Oh great, cause a fire !!!
I repeat my entreaty that any readers here seriously think about an alarm system for a vulnerable Sig Other. I KNOW I have mobility issues, but never in a million years did I imagine myself to be soooo physically unable to get myself get up. That was very surprising, sobering & frightening. It is equally sobering & frightening to know that there was NO ONE avail at that time to help either. Guys, I've got to tell you - that I've been shaken to the core by this fall.
I have found myself being more cautious post-fall. I'm moving more deliberately with increased awareness for other safety issues - like I'm watching myself as I would for any of my pts. It's been a real eye-opener.
To those of you that have had a personal experience (or for some SO), you know what I'm talking about. The horror stories are out there. Alarm systems are for other emergencies too. Choking and chest pain come to mind quickly. Fire. Intruders. And living with a spouse/offspring does NOT immunize one against potential danger.
I knew I had risk issues when I got my system 5 years ago, but 'who'd thunk it'. I'm NOT of retirement or Medicare age yet. But I have a new
awareness of my place in the big cosmos.
And to Glycerine - my condolences for the loss of your grandfather.