I have been caring for my elderly father in his home for 6 years. I have a few of my own health issues lately. I am worried that if something happens to me, I don't come down in the morning or I collapse or pass out, he will have no way to contact the outside world. I am looking for a device that he can use that is 1) SIMPLE 2) just dials 911 3) gets someone here fast. God forbid that happens, but it could. I have no issue paying for a service, but it must be simple. My dad had a stroke and is incapable of dialing a phone or speaking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I just want to add that having regular contact with the outside world can be the best way to ensure the scenario you are imagining doesn't happen; friends, neighbours or family members can make a point of watching out for each other and checking in daily.
My father cannot even get out of bed by himself. He is paralyzed on one side and has extremely limited mobility. My worry is that I do not come downstairs one morning and he has no options to contact the outside world himself. The despair, panic, and helplessness he would feel concerns me more than my own health issues. And the idea that he would have to be in that state for a day or two before anyone even noticed breaks my heart.
Thank you for reaching out. It is greatly appreciated.
Keep an ICE (In Case of Emergency) card in your wallet/purse, too; you might be able to find good ones online, but in any case your card will say something like
"I am primary caregiver to [name]. In case of emergency, please contact [name] on [number] and let them know what has happened."
The named contact must be someone who has or can arrange access to your home. Might be worth seeing if your local Area Agency of Aging runs any kind of caregivers' or families' network or hub for this purpose.
Do you have a keysafe/lockbox so that the emergency services can get in?
Do you wear a falls alarm yourself?
A few of your suggestions will be incorporated into our emergency plans.
I really like the idea of details to the information data base to make sure if I am hauled in someone is notified that he needs immediate assistance or help. Wherever I go, he goes so I am more worried about an in home incident. He cannot even get out of bed by himself so I worry he would be waiting for me for hours to come and get him out of bed and me not coming. The sense of panic and helplessness he would feel has me more worried than my own health issues. They are not that bad, but you never know.
Thank you for your response.
If he can not dial a phone If he can not speak
there are "medic alert" companies that all you have to do is press a button and they will summon help.
It also might help if you wore one so that if something happened to you you could call.
Alexa if you have one can be programed to call an emergency number. Since they can be placed in almost every room it might work for you.
There are Tablets that can be programed with words or phrases that might work if it can be used to call 911 as well.
This is one of the frightening things about being a caregiver. I used to wait to change light bulbs until the Hospice Nurse or CNA came so that I would not be lying on the floor for who knows how long if I fell off the ladder.
My neighbor also a widow sends me a text every morning and I respond. If either of us do not get a text from the other by 8:30 I call her. (I even called her daughter once because I could not get hold of her.)
You might even want to contact your local Fire department or rescue department and let them know of the situation and see if they have any ideas or plans for something like this. (I am sure they would also like to know of your circumstances so they can be prepared)
I do like your suggestion of a friendly daily text from a neighbor or friend just to check in. We have a great neighbor that used to check on us daily, but the politics of the last four years have strained that relationship a bit (who knew?). That is a great suggestion and will incorporate it into our emergency plans. Thank you.
I also would suggest posting two envelopes on your refrigerator, one for you and one for your dad, with all your insureance, medication, medical information, emergency contact info etc. Our local Fire and Rescue department handed these out and they are trained to look for them when they come to a home and there is no one able to provide them information. I actually found it useful when I had to take my dad to the emergency room and I could just grab the envelope on the way out and I had all his insurance, medical, etc information right at hand.
I'm assuming you have the house phone set up with the emergency numbers on speed dial for your dad. If those numbers get dialed and they don't get answers to their questions they will send people out; they don't just dismiss the call as a wrong number (Don't ask me how I know this.)
I Beverly it's called First Alert and after the button is pushed, if no answer to the Are you OK Mr whatever your Dad's name is. Then an EMT will be called to go out.
You should leave a key to the house for an EMT to find
Some services will contact the person if they are not moving for too long, during the day, or if they are in prone position.
Use a search engine to research and find the alert product that best fits your needs.
I do have a single friend that lives alone. We email or text each other every morning - to let the other know we are ok. If we do not hear from each other by 10:00 a.m., we call the other person, first on their home phone and then if necessary on their cell phone. If we couldn't reach each other - we have the garage code, key and alarm code to enter each other's home. Around 10:00 each night, we email each other a simple good night - so we know each other is ok. It doesn't take long and is not intrusive. Not the greatest plan, but better than nothing. It could still be twelve hours before communication.
I would like to find something - like the questionnaire inquired about.
Some people aren't aware of what a lockbox is (not saying OP doesn't or anyone who has responded, just clarifying for any other who come along and may benefit.)
These are security boxes that are secured outside, generally with code and/or key access. Inside the box is the house key. Real Estate use these to have access to the home.
There are also door locks that can have code and key access. YB installed one at mom's condo, and when I changed her phone service to add wi-fi, he was able to access it remotely (he programmed it to automatically lock at a certain time at night, could monitor it from wherever, and if needed, could unlock it in emergency. I generally used a key - too much to remember already without having to memorize some code!
But if you have trusted friends, you could give them the code and add them to the call list if you get the alert system. Door lock code would open the door, lockbox code would give access to the house key. If you trust your FD, they could have the code in your file to give to the EMT dispatched. Sometimes police are sent first, as a wellness check, so they could use the code.
Generally these CAN be reprogrammed, so should for some reason EMT or PD comes in, maybe false alarm. and you don't feel comfortable, you can change the code (just remember to update those trusted people!)