Perils of living alone, with little outside . Tenant in my building died alone days ago..not discovered til today

Victoria said:
True. And it can happen at any age. I was reading about SADS, sudden adult death syndrome where a young man in his 20s died suddenly and wasn't discovered till a week later. So not just an elderly thing. I also think the thought of it is worse than it actually happening because like you said, you've gone on to your next journey so you don't even know it happened. Once you die you couldn't care less about what happened to your body. :ROFLMAO:
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Like I said, I am not worried about me at all. I am more than happy to die at home, in the place that I am happy and comfortable in. It is the worry about the dogs that concerns me. Maybe I should give them up but the truth is I can't. If I knew that I had a terminal illness, that would be different, I would find them a loving family before the event. As they say we never know where or when. Sometimes a little notice might be nice.
 

Packerjohn said:
I am a pretty active guy so I joined a group called "Friendly Neighbour, I'm Okay." We put this little sign outside our door every morning when we wake up to show that we are OK!. If there is no sign, someone knocks on the door, then there is a phone call. There are another 3 steps before the administration is called.

I do the patrol on Saturday mornings. It's a good system for folks living alone. Of course, I belong to a walking group and I'm pretty social. I see people every day and I enjoy "chewing the fat" with them. I think if you are a recluse, you could get pretty depressed and it "ain't" good for your mental health. People are important and we all need people; no matter what the pandemic "Doctor Death" tells you about staying home.

In Canada every province has a chief medical officer. When they speak, it's pretty depressing news. Here is a photo of the guy we had to listen to for the last 2.5 years. Like I said, he could be real depressing.
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I had a client who does that! She puts a board in the window that has today's day and date and she updates it every day. I asked her why she did that and she said it was for the people who walk by so they can see that she's okay. I thought it was cool. :)(y)
 
I have a little alarm that I wear around my neck like a pendant on a cord, when I am at home alone. It's electronically connected to people who can help if you are alone but unable to use the phone to call for emergency help. All you do is push the button (which nearly everyone can do, even down on the floor, unless they are totally paralyzed), and the response system answers, to ask if you need help. If you do, they call 911, and the medics come immediately. If you are unable to talk, I think they summon the medics anyway.

I've never needed to use it, but feel much safer knowing help is always at hand if needed. It's worth a few dollars a month for peace of mind.
 
This happened to one of my aunts in 2004. She was 84 years old and nobody in the house knew of her death. Her remains were found some months later together with hundreds of dead flies. And the smell ... I better abstain from describing it.
 
Marie5656 said:
Had a sad event in my building this afternoon. A tenant here reported a bad odor in her hallway..tracked to one particular apartment. The tenant in apt was found dead when maintanence went in. Determined he may have been dead a week or more. He kept to himself alot. Did not spend time in common areas, except to check his mail or go out for errands.
He had a couple daughters, not from area. So, a lot of comotion in building. If you live in senior housing, check on neighbors
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I’m so sorry. My biggest fear
 
Marie5656 said:
Had a sad event in my building this afternoon. A tenant here reported a bad odor in her hallway..tracked to one particular apartment. The tenant in apt was found dead when maintanence went in. Determined he may have been dead a week or more. He kept to himself alot. Did not spend time in common areas, except to check his mail or go out for errands.
He had a couple daughters, not from area. So, a lot of comotion in building. If you live in senior housing, check on neighbors
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My brother passed away suddenly in his trailer home. He wasnt found until the police made a welfare check on him. He was younger than me, so now I worry when it will happen to me 😟.

All my family, children and grandchildren live out of state, so unless one of them decides to call me, no one would find me either. This is why I am reaching out on this board. I need more human contact.
 
I live alone now and all pets have gone their ways. Unless I call housekeeper to come or order grocery delivery noone would know I have passed. my old bud might call and not get an answer other than the machine and just think I was out for the moment. Might be a week or two before anyone found me, unless it was close to rent collection day and the landlord found me.
 
It's how my brother's death occurred. His neighbor discovered his remains a week or so after the event. He'd lost his wife a few years before and mentioned he no longer had anything to live for.
I live alone on a rural property and decline to adopt a dog for the reasons already mentioned. My health is pretty good so far, but I should probably enact some plans for this kind of thing while I still have the capacity to do so.
 
A neighbor lived alone and was constantly calling a local fire house. The sirens got to be an annoying joke. I discovered that a key lock box, accessible by the Fire department, could be installed over her front door to avoid the necessity of kicking in the door. Got one of the boxes and installed it for her. A few months later she was found dead on the toilet.
 
Marie5656 said:
It has been one of my fears that the same would happen to me. But I do not feel it would as I have a daily online presence. And I am seen around the building almost daily. Plus regular contact with family.
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A friend of ours lives in an apt alone now, she has a few friends in the building, so hopefully someone will know. Perhaps Marie you could set up someone to call you every day at the same time, or find a friend in the building.
 
mrstime said:
A friend of ours lives in an apt alone now, she has a few friends in the building, so hopefully someone will know. Perhaps Marie you could set up someone to call you every day at the same time, or find a friend in the building.
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Well, my next door neighbor and I will knock on each others door to check in if we do not see each other for a day or so. We do tell each other if we will be away
 
I lost a friend who was discovered deceased after a welfare check request to police from their job ironically due to retire in with in a couple of months. It happens. Unless you see or talk to someone every single day this can and will happen more than one thinks. I don't hear from or can't contact someone I check the obits or make some inquiries to others.
 

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