A rather eventful evening. My disabled medic alert button went off....

Marie5656

Marie5656

SF VIP
Location
Batavia, NY
Last week my medic alert button died. So I called the place. Was informed by operator that he would deactivate it, and ship me a new one. No worries, right?
Earlier this evening I was sitting down in my building community room visiting. As I was going to leave, saw some paramedics arrive, and I let them in as I was going upstairs. They were on my floor when I got up. Turns out, MY old, dead button called them and alerted them I was in trouble. I came into my apartment to several voicemails from my contacts, All worried about me. I was just down stairs minding my own business.
 

R. Daneel Olivaw is a fictional robot created by Isaac Asimov. The "R" initial in his name stands for "Robot," a naming convention in Asimov's future society during Earth's early period of space colonization. Daneel is introduced in The Caves of Steel, a serialized story published in Galaxy Science Fiction from October to December 1953. The full story was published by Doubleday as a hardcover book in 1954.
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R. Dorothy Wayneright, usually known simply as Dorothy, is the deuteragonist and lead heroine of the anime series The Big O. She is an android created by the scientist Miguel Soldano, as commissioned by Timothy Wayneright. She moves in with Roger Smith after he saves her, becoming his assistant and often accompanying him on Negotiator missions.
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"R." is an abbreviated honorific (similar to Mr., Mrs., etc.) that had gained currency in science fiction for several decades.

Reading the above I imagined years from now some kid finding a long-abandoned "R. Marie 5656" unit in a drawer, putting in a battery, and triggering a call to paramedics and family.
 
We got my late mom an alert button on a lanyard. She wouldn't wear it. So we got her one to wear on her wrist. She wouldn't wear that one, either, but said she'd wear it on her ankle.

I said, "Mom, if you're lying on the floor or out on the patio or in the driveway with a broken hip, you're not going to be able to reach your ankle to push the button." We just gave up. She was NOT going to use an alert button.
 
The nearest thing I've had to that happening was when I was in the hospital a couple of years ago. The sweet little nurse had come around to do "vitals" with her big bulky cart and we were laughing and carrying on. She bumped the cart up against the wall, apparently hitting the "code blue" button.

BAM! The door flies open and a bunch of people rush in pushing equipment. "WHERE'S THE RESUSCITATION?"

We both look at them. They look at us. Man, it's obvious that SOMEONE is going to be resuscitated real soon if we don't clear this up and it's me they're suspiciously looking at...... I don't want to be resuscitated. I don't NEED to be resuscitated but they're going to do their job if we don't move fast. I sit up in bed and yell, "I'M JUST FINE!"

I ran into her the next day and she laughed and said, "Oh, thanks to you, I'm now known as Little Miss Code Blue!". We're actually friends now and get together on occasion.

But at least I know they'll be johnny-on-the-spot if I DO ever need the Code Blue team.
 
Marie5656 said:
Last week my medic alert button died. So I called the place. Was informed by operator that he would deactivate it, and ship me a new one. No worries, right?
Earlier this evening I was sitting down in my building community room visiting. As I was going to leave, saw some paramedics arrive, and I let them in as I was going upstairs. They were on my floor when I got up. Turns out, MY old, dead button called them and alerted them I was in trouble. I came into my apartment to several voicemails from my contacts, All worried about me. I was just down stairs minding my own business.
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Well.... you know the system works.... We got false calls all the time... and man some of the stories I can tell....

We get to the house, knock and no answer... Doors locked so we start around the house, looking in and checking for unlocked windows.. As I look in, there stands a naked lady who immediately dives into a closet... We cant get her to answer the door or respond to the dispatcher calling... then we hear sirens, and the cops arrive.... She called and reported a peeping tom....
 
Don't worry, Marie. Think of it as a test of the system. Seems like it works!

I'm sure your contacts were glad to find it was a false alert - sounds like they are truly there for you too. It's all good news!
 
jujube said:
We got my late mom an alert button on a lanyard. She wouldn't wear it. So we got her one to wear on her wrist. She wouldn't wear that one, either, but said she'd wear it on her ankle.

I said, "Mom, if you're lying on the floor or out on the patio or in the driveway with a broken hip, you're not going to be able to reach your ankle to push the button." We just gave up. She was NOT going to use an alert button.
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During my ten years with Metro Toronto Ambulance, I ran into a number of people who had bought a medic alert bracelet or necklace BUT wore it in the most absurd place LIKE in their PURSE OR WALLET. Or around their ankle UNDER a pair of knee high winter boots. Or in one famous case, in their underwear panties. IN an emergency, we first responders don't have time to completely strip all of your clothing off, looking for that medic alert bracelet. WE check your WRIST, or your NECK , for a pulse, and that is where we expect to find the medic alert item with your most important medical information on it. Mine says this COPD, type 2 diabetic, A FIB, pacemaker, gastric sleeve, no blind NG tubes, WATCHMAN implant.

JIMB.
 
jimintoronto said:
During my ten years with Metro Toronto Ambulance, I ran into a number of people who had bought a medic alert bracelet or necklace BUT wore it in the most absurd place LIKE in their PURSE OR WALLET. Or around their ankle UNDER a pair of knee high winter boots. Or in one famous case, in their underwear panties. IN an emergency, we first responders don't have time to completely strip all of your clothing off, looking for that medic alert bracelet. WE check your WRIST, or your NECK , for a pulse, and that is where we expect to find the medic alert item with your most important medical information on it. Mine says this COPD, type 2 diabetic, A FIB, pacemaker, gastric sleeve, no blind NG tubes, WATCHMAN implant.

JIMB.
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Yes. At night I put it on my nightstand. A few weeks back, I was getting out of bed, middle of night, and landed on my butt. I was just able to reach up to my nightstand and grab it.
 
Marie5656 said:
Yes. At night I put it on my nightstand. A few weeks back, I was getting out of bed, middle of night, and landed on my butt. I was just able to reach up to my nightstand and grab it.
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You are confusing two VERY different things. A Medic Alert bracelet or necklace DOES NOT SEND A SIGNAL OF ANY KIND> It is an engraved metal bracelet with your important medical information on it. What you are talking about is an Electronic signaling device that contacts some body like the 911 network, or a private alarm monitoring company. Can you see the difference, now ? JIMB.
 
Jim, I have a medical alert button that I wear on a lanyard around my neck. It sort of looks like a necklace. Once, when it was new, I was experimenting with it and accidentally set it off. A voice responded on the device, but I didn't know what to do. About 20 minutes later, four very professional (also young and good-looking) EMT workers were in my apartment asking if everything was all right. (They have some kind of master key). Really embarrassing, as they brought the whole shebang: ambulance, fire truck, etc. Not to mention that they really had better things to do; what if someone else really needed them? I apologized, they were very nice about it (said it happens all the time), and it never happened again.
 
Got a call today from an operator from the Belle company (brand of my button) to ask how I liked it and if I had any questions. I asked to confirm the battery life...6 to 7 days. It is GPS enabled, so I asked its range. Within the continental borders of the US!! Wow, further than I thought.
 

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