I've fallen, and I can't get up!!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Well, ok, it’s not me, but I just had a convo that brought up this subject.

Gramma had one, before she died. It took a couple of years to get all the kinks worked out.

When you press the “I’ve fallen” button it sends a signal to LifeLine, and when that signal is received it notifies family members/friends/neighbors that someone is in trouble. LifeLine then calls the listed numbers for those people to check on the LifeLine member.

Problem #1: On a farm, someone is usually around. They’re just not in the house. So gramma fell, pressed the button, and my parents were called. No answer - Dad was in the pole shed working on a tractor, and Mom was at work. So the neighbors were called - again, no answer. Then the OTHER neighbors were called - again, no answer. Then the ambulance was dispatched, only to find that grampa and dad were in the yard working on the tractor and the ambulance was unnecessary.

So.

The call-list was changed so the farm was the first place called. There’s a REALLY LOUD bullhorn attatched to the phone line, so when it rings, it RINGS.

Problem #2: When LifeLine is activated, it keeps the phone line open. IOW … Gramma presses the button, the LifeLine operators try to call the farm number (with its attendant bullhorn-of-a-ringer) and get a busy signal. Repeat the calls to home, neighbors, and ambulance.

So.

A second phone line is installed.

Problem #3: LifeLine has a button that must be pressed twice a day, just to make sure the member is still alive. If the button is not pressed, a signal goes to the operators, who call the LifeLine member. If the phone is not answered, authorities are dispatched (if the member is away from home there is a method to set the unit on ‘Away’).

Gramma and grampa sometimes forgot to press the damn button.

They went up to Gilman to watch the softball games after omitting the above step. A half-hour later my father went up to Gilman to watch the ball game. 15 minutes later someone walked up to dad and asked him why the cops, fire department, and ambulance were in the barn yard :eek:

Dad drove to the farm and asked the cop what was going on.

“We’re looking for Ruth Sandy,” he says.

“Ruth Sandy is in Gilman watching the softball game.” :smiley:
[/quote]
This was funny as hell relating it in the conversation, but I’ll tell you what …

Gramma died in March.

I’m moving in with grampa.

Was moving some stuff in yesterday and … that house was SOOOOOOO quiet :frowning:

2

Great story, Rachel. Those are the memories that are important, the ones that make you smile and laugh. Thanks for sharing a smile, sorry it sometimes brings a painful reminder of loss.

3

My deepest condolences for your loss, chique.

Thanks for sharing such a cute story, though. We almost got one of those things for my grandmother, but she decided she didn’t want one, so we didn’t.

[aside]I have to compliment the company who sells those devices, though. They have a firm policy that once they’ve been to your home and demonstrated their product, they’re not ever allowed to phone you again to see if you’ve made a decision (or for any other reason). It’s left totally up to the prospective customer to phone them if they want the product. I think this is a great policy, as it would be so easy to take advantage of the kinds of people in their target market - the elderly. Kudos to them for doing things the right way and having business ethics.[/aside]

Unfortunately, even if my baba would have had one, it wouldn’t have helped. She had a massive heart attack when she was getting in the tub at the end of the day and when she fell, the man who worked for her in the business that she ran from her basement, heard her fall and immediately called 911. They arrived within minutes, broke the door down to get to her and started CPR. They worked on her for about 30 minutes but were unable to revive her. :frowning: I miss her A LOT!

Jeg elsker dig, Thomas

4

A friend’s grandmother had a similar service on. When she got too sick to care for herself, she moved in with her daughter and my friend moved into her house. I was there one day and we had an ambulance show up - no one knew the service was still running. While the cleaner was cleaning the bathroom, she accidently set off the “I’ve fallen” alarm. It was amusing (once we sorted it out) because no one actually knew that it was hooked up, so we couldn’t figure out who called the ambulance :slight_smile:

I have been through the loss of a dear Grandma… it was almost like she died twice. When Grandma got too bad and Grandfather couldn’t care for her anymore, she was moved into a nursing home. Grandfather decided that his house was crammed with 45 years worth of junk, and he wanted to rationalise his possessions, so he got everything he didn’t want anymore, and put it in the spare room. Then he ordered each member of the family to come over and take what they wanted. A lot of Grandma’s stuff was there (most of it actually) because he knew she wouldn’t be needing it anymore. We each took a keepsake, but it was the worst feeling ever. It was like Grandma was dead and we were raiding her stuff - but she was still alive. After she died, Grandfather sold his house and moved into a unit, and went through the same thing a second time. I took Grandma’s jewelery box with all her “pearls”, and when I opened it, I found her spectacles inside. Cue the tears :slight_smile:

Grandmas are the loveliest things.

5

Thanks, guys. I was a little upset when I wrote this :\

thinksnow - Yeah, I know. Doesn’t make it any easier, though.

Shayna - :eek: That’s horrible :frowning: I miss gramma A LOT, too.

cazzie - Grampa’s been doing pretty much the same thing; at one point we had to nearly physically restrain him from throwing stuff out til we had a chance to look at it. “Too many memories,” he says. The day of the funeral he called the granddaughters, daughters-in-law, and daughter into the bedroom to start picking through her jewelry box. Flipped my mother out like you wouldn’t believe.

6

chique - my Grandfather is a funny old devil… he’s not sentimental at all, and anything that’s not useful needs to be thrown away. As a budding genealogist, it horrifies me to see Grandfather dispose of all this stuff.

Probably the worst thing he did was leave a message on my uncle’s answering machine to say his mother died. This poor uncle hadn’t even been told that she was in her final illness (unlike the rest of us). He came home one day and checked his messages and got “… so we’ll see you at the funeral tomorrow” - Grandfather had started speaking before the beep, and my poor uncle was frantic, calling around to find out who died. Being Grandfather, he arranged Grandma’s funeral for the day after she died. He couldn’t see any sense in waiting. Then, after she was cremated, he buried her ashes in a box in the backyard… with her wedding ring, engagement ring and eternity ring. And then he sold the house. He refused to let anyone move Grandma’s ashes, so his children got together and dug Grandma up (how I hate that sentence) - we were so worried that the new owners would be digging in the garden one day, and find a box that looked to be full of silt, and throw it in the bin… Ugh. He’s a dear old fellow, but he has some odd ideas…

Here’s to our Grandfathers, may they live long and be healthy.

7

At my paternal grandmother’s funeral (Grandpa was already long gone), my dad’s brother brought Grandma’s jewelry box to the funeral and let the grandkids choose from her costume jewelry. It was fun going through and seeing who remembered her wearing what. She had been mentally absent for several years, so the occasion was more one of remembrance than of sorrow – she had died to us a long time ago.

My mother gave me her mother’s cameo AND the box to boot! So I have a nice collection of “Grandma jewelry” and a box to keep it in.