Wearing a GPS Unit

I wear an emergency button everyday.  I call this thing my “help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” device.  Keith, my neighbor, bullied me until I decided he was right.  Like his mother who has one of these devices, I live alone and Keith thought I should get one.  And his wife Rita concurred.  So, I gave in and purchased the devices and the plan, and when they came, I reviewed all of the pieces and parts:  a red button to keep in the bathroom, a little one-inch button to wear around my neck in the house, and a larger unit with a button that has a GPS in it.

Right away, I decided that the house button is not for me.  If I wear the house button while at home, the receiver for the part that I have to talk to when there is an emergency is always in another part of the house plugged into the wall socket.  When I leave the house, I have to change it for the GPS unit and I forget.  So, there I am in the car with the house button, not the GPS unit.  That’s why I only use the GPS unit, at home in the house or the yard or on the go.  The company isn’t very happy about that, but that’s their problem¸ not mine.  It works for me.

It is my understanding that emergency calls made from bathrooms are, primarily, made between midnight and four o’clock in the morning.  Television commercials show a woman who has fallen in the bathroom and sends a call for emergency help.  The commercial implies that she has been taking a bath or shower.  If it is true (as I was told) that most of the bathroom calls are made during the early morning hours, we can decide that few, if any, people take a bath or a shower during those hours.  My younger sister has an opinion that those calls are made because old people get up to use the toilet, fall asleep, and fall off of the commode.  And, call for help.  It makes sense to me.  I think I’ve been in that situation, occasionally.  It’s scary.

In all of the time that I’ve had the emergency unit, I’ve used it only once.  I did not fall and was not in any real danger when I pushed that button.  I ended up sitting on the floor beside my bed.  I sleep with socks on because diabetes keeps my feet cold during the night if I don’t.  My polished hardwood floors are slick.  When I got out of bed, my sock-covered feet had no traction, and I slipped down.  I tried to get up and couldn’t.  It finally occurred to me that this is the reason I have this button, so I pushed it.  I called Rita my neighbor to come and unlock my house.  And, no, she’s not strong enough to lift me off of the floor.

The emergency responders arrived, helped me stand up, made sure that I was safe, and left.  The next day, I bought strip rugs to place beside my bed, covering the hardwood floors, and I haven’t had the problem of my feet slipping on the floor again.

I was really glad I had that GPS unit.

Be safe and well.

The Cranky Crone

If you have thoughtful feedback or questions, please let me know with a comment below.