Lifeline Button

Don't think a life line button is going to save everyone. Yes they do work and they do serve a purpose. But a life line button is only as effective as the person wearing it.I have taken care of a number of people who wear these buttons. They tuck them into their shirts because they are rather bulky and unsightly. But they do bring a certain confidence to their owners. A little sigh of relief that now I will be saved. Now if something happens and I am alone, help will be on the way. Then when this person falls down or gets stuck somewhere they can push the button, talk to the rescuer over their intercom and all will be fine again. This isn't always the case. People start wearing a life line button when they are coherent, of sound mind and can remember not only how to use it but that they have it on. Eventually, as the mind goes they forget they are wearing it. They forget, that when they fall, all they have to do is push that little button and all will be well again. I took care of a man who had fallen in between care giver shifts. He lay on the floor for over 4 hours. He was wearing his life line button but forgot about it. He never pushed it. He just lay there yelling as loud as he could for help. Finally one of the nurses working at this particular retirement home heard him as she walked by and stopped to help. He had fallen on top of the coffee table and was laying atop the broken pieces... for hours. Unfortunately, this happened several more times. His only relative, his daughter, couldn't bear to put him in skilled nursing and didn't want him to lose his sense of self by hiring full time care givers. She was a lawyer. I find that when talking to lawyers outside of the profession the best way to get a point across to use legal terms. I have a limited legal vocabulary but I knew enough to say "He is not of sound mind to make decisions regarding his own safety and care. He would never be allowed to take a witness stand because he is not of sound mind enough to be allowed the privilege."  She got the message.When someone gets to this stage it is time to consider a full scale skilled nursing facility or at the very least hire round the clock care. When someone can't remember that they even have that thing on then it's time to regroup. You may, however, want to consider a button that automatically goes off after a fall without having to push a button. I was just reading on WebMD that there is such a thing. I haven't any experience with it so I can't vouch to it's effectiveness. There are a number of companies that offer this kind of help. They are worth looking into until the next stage arrives.