I was upstairs, DH was downstairs. He called me to come down - didn't know what was up (he functions very well); started downstairs, slipped on the last step, fell into the bathroom doorway at the bottom. Hit my cheek on door jamb - boy will I have a bruiser tomorrow! Nothing serious - just all scraped up and sore already. But he was on the backporch and didn't see or hear me - at least I had my cell phone and could have called 911 if necessary. I always keep it with me and turned on.
goodness vickie, youtoo? right after poor kitty got hurt on stairs? be careful!! i hate shairs. i have 3 sets of marble ones and they are super slippery if any drops of liquid. glad it wasnt too serious but do keep phone in your pocket! put ice on it -divvi
I do not have pockets on all my shirts and someone said that many on many falls you might end up in a position where you can not easily reach my pant pockets. So I started looking for a way I could hang the cell phone around my neck. Went to Radio Shack and clerk said his phones and phone accessories did not have a cord to hang them around my neck. But he said, "just a minute" and he went into back and came back with a neck hanger with a clip to hang your name tag or company name tag. He gave it to me, I put a small wire in the phone slot and wired it to the neck cord. Now I have it with me at all times. Sometimes I do put it in my shirt pocket to keep it from banging around. I do not have good balance and worry a lot about my possibility of falling and needing help. I think this is better than the devices we have talked about before.
I started taking my cell phone with me into the bathroom. Our bathroom is off of our bedroom, too far from the den for Sid to ever hear me yelling if I fell. Besides which, he can't hear very well. Definitely a good idea to find a way to keep it with you at all times.
My sister, who lives alone, slipped on the ice last winter and fell into a snowbank. She could not get up. She had her cell phone so called me (I was next door at the time). My 2 daughters ran over and pulled her out of the snow. If she had not had the cell phone it could have been hours to a day or more before someone found her. I clip my cell phone to my belt as soon as I leave the house. It is always turned on.
My cellphone is on my waistband at all times also. Not all my clothes have pockets so I got a good clip-on holder for it. DH still knows how to push the speed dial to get me. It does provide some comfort knowing he can call me if he needs me.
I guess I should get a cellphone again. When we got a vehicle with Onstar I gave mine up...never used it & couldn't see paying money for something I never used.
And don't forget, if you have OnStar, if you have a problem while in the car with DH, just push the red button and they will answer and send help if you need it.
I got rid of cell phone service, because maybe I used the phone 5 times a month, and I was paying 39$ plus tax. I now have a tracfone, pay as you go. Very reasonably priced, pay for the calls you make, 10c a minute, phones are available in CVS, Walmart, Kmart, and may other places. the minutes you purchase never expire, I buy by the year, and minutes get doubled. Definately worth it. I always have it with me and it costs very little
Me, too, Chris.Had a tracfone for years. It seems to have more coverage than the others... in my part of the world, anyhow. (I gather they piggyback on other services everywhere)
I use my cell phone so much that I did away with the landline! No one ever called us and we hardly used it. My son talked me into carrying my cell in my pocket about a year ago. I usually keep it on vibrate if I'm out. Plus the vibration is the only thrill I get............oh that was bad, sorry, lol!
I considered removing my land line then happened to think of being gone once in a while and someone staying here with dh, and decided to keep it for now. Other than that we don't need 2 phones.
I keep a cell phone with me when I'm out of the house. Like chris I ended up with an emergency phone that costs me very little. I lucked out with the person who sold it to me because although I spent more than $100 for it the first year, I've only put $10 a year into it for the last 3 years. I literally never use it.
Yesterday I pushed the button on Joan's main page for the Emergency Panic Button. Today I purchased a year's worth of service for it. They are sending me a button to wear around my neck or on my arm, and a second one to permanently place on the wall of the bathroom because that is where people frequently fall when they are not wearing the main button. I'm also considering purchasing a lock box for the outside of the house so I can put a key into it for emergency personnel.
I was impressed with the brochure (sent to me in email) and with the salesman who called and who answered a bunch of questions.
The caseworker from the Area Agency on Aging told me I needed to get one of these panic buttons, for me, not for my husband.
I have a Gophone, where I'm adding $25 per quarter, and you can build up to $500, but then it stops adding up. Ten cents/min., + one buck per day access if you use it, and free long distance all sounded good to me. I need the land line for the broadband internet svc though. Total cost per month is $8 if you don't ever use it....pretty inexpensive. I don't know why I'm going on about this, I'm sure some of you have one.
Imohr, I'm being cautious. The caseworker had a point. There was a whole list of things but this was the only one I hadn't done. And then I saw the ad on Joan's main page and said, why not?
TexasJoe, I lucked into something really weird, but if I hadn't I'd have wanted to know about the Gophone, so thanks for telling us about it.
Thanks for the reminder to make sure phones are with us during the day for access. yesterday my 5 tiny baby wrens were ready to leave the nest. i swear i needed a video! it was something worthy of Nat GEo! haha. i was eating a bag of cheetos and watching them fluff feathers and immitate the parents which were besides themselves. i watched the parents take tiny 3ft jumps over objects to show the babies how to get to the trees. you didnt need bird language to know whats up.hah. they showed that jumping thing i bet one hundred times! then the babies got bold and tookoff one at a time. well. bad news. haha. three of them landed in my POOL!!! yep, i was out the door in fully clothes into the pool WITH MY CELL in my pocket.. haha!!!!!!!! saved them all and oh my gosh they SAT perched on my hand 3 babies!! in the sun for a few minutes. adorable little guys! then i moved them to a plant on the patio. they are now (i looked) outside in the trees rightout my glass doors and theparents are there encouraging them to fly more.. all the chirping is heartwarming along with my coffee/donut:) by the way my cell is drying out. i have no clue if its going to work.. AND my back is out due to my clumsy rescue..hah. was worth it though. what a nat geo moment.. haha!!! hope your day was equally 'exciting.." :)divvi
Good save. Pull your SIM card out of your phoneASAP. If your phone is toast at least your numbers are safe for transfer to a new phone. Remove the battery and you will see a small square card.
Thanks; I enjoyed the story and wish I'd been there to see it. OT We have several boxes around for bluebirds, but only 1 houses "blues" at the moment. Some have tree swallows, and two have English wrens. The latter aren't indigenous to the U.S. and aren't a protected species. They are mean and aggressive. I DON'T like them because they kill bluebirds and break their eggs and take over their boxes, but my bb expert says they're all territorial; so if they take up residence in a couple boxes, leave them and they'll leave other birds alone. Sorry I've blathered so.
Oh, and I do try to keep my cell phone w/me at all times:) See; see; I got back on cell phones.
DH and I have the same model cell phone. I make sure his is fully charged and clipped to his belt each morning. If he were to leave the house without me noticing, I feel better knowing he could be located via his cell phone. In his address book, the first entry is A~HOME. The "A" keeps the number at the top of the list. My cell number is stored in A~HOME so I could be reached immediately. Gives me some peace of mind.
Welcome to my website. You have come to a place of comfort for spouses who are trying to cope with the Alzheimer's/dementia of their husband/wife. The issues we face in dealing with a spouse with this disease are so different from the issues faced by children and grandchildren caregivers. We discuss all of those issues here - loss of intimacy; social contact; conversation; anger; resentment; stress; and pain of living with the stranger that Alzheimer's Disease has put in place of our beloved spouse.
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I hope you will visit often and get the support and information you are looking for.
That "A-HOME" is a GREAT idea for the cell phone.
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The last time (July 2000) Sid walked into the ocean with his cell phone in his trunk's pocket, it killed the phone. Maybe the newer ones are more water resistant.
Thank you for the info Joan G. I am new to this board, but have been doing research on memory and statins for the past 6 years. I look forward to the support and knowledge your members can provide.
I have my home number programed to speed dial on #2 and a daughters #3. Only have to push down the #2 and hold it down a few seconds and it will dial automatically. Same for my daughters at #3. I can't remember more than 2 so have to look the others up.
I have those numbers under ICE, WHICH STANDs for in case of emergency. Supposedly, if you're in an accident or whatnot, and have your cellphone with you, the first responders will know who to contact. ICE, my daughter is ice1 and son is ice 2, or vice versa. on DH's cell phone my number, my cell number, and daughters and sons are the only numbers, and they are there under numerous names, ice, their names, relationship, etc. Just in case. Just another mention of tracfone, they don't charge the dollar per day on which you use the phone, it's just the dime a minute. however, if you already have ATT, you can transfer your phone to a go phone and avoid having to buy a new phone.
My dw can no longer remember phone numbers, and cannot even look them up in our directory. I have everyone programmed into speed dial....1 is me 2 is my cell, 3 is my daughter, 4 is my mom, 5 is my son, 6 is my brother, etc etc. My dw now knows everyone's number...but the downside is that she really cannot remember the real numbers....and I am slowly forgetting them too....When someone asks for my number, it is very common to hear her say..just dial 1. You have to laugh at the simplicity of it....Last week, the bank called and needed to talk to me and asked for my number. My dw told them just to hold down the numbe 1 and that would call me....I had to laugh..
My DH no longer can use a cell phone, but he can the land line. He keeps a typewrittten paper in his wallet with pertinent phone numbers, birthdays, etc. He can still get that paper out, dial a number or whatever. But just cannot use the cellphone! And he remembers our phone number - and sometimes I don't remember! Go figure.