Posted in Products & Gadgets on January 24th, 2010
Tags: cell phones, elderly parents, senior care

 

Help your elderly parents by providing them with a cellular phone

As part of senior care, provide your elderly parents will a cell phone in case of an emergency, will offer peace of mind.

Your elderly parents want their independence, but you worry about them when they are on the go.  Get an easy to use cell phone that any senior can use.

The following story made me realize just how vulnerable our elderly parents can become when every day life goes wrong.

If anyone needs a cell phone, it is your elderly parents, because sometimes there isn’t a guardian angel around to take care of things when life goes wrong.  Here is a true story of a senior citizen who had taken a taxi to her doctor’s office located in my neighborhood.

Returning home from grocery shopping, I noticed a taxi had dropped off an elderly lady with her walker, in front of the doctor’s office. This lady had difficulty walking unassisted and had to shuffle her way up a long a steep ramp, while leaning on her walker.  Looking at the situation, I was a bit peeved the taxi driver did not take the time to help this vulnerable lady up the ramp and into the doctor’s office as a precaution as she easily could have lost her balance and fallen.

Lugging my bags of groceries along with me, I went over to help this elderly lady who was relieved to have someone looking out for her while she slowly pushed her walker up the steep incline, having to stop a few times along the way to rest. She was so frail that I told her not to rush and to take her time. She thanked me for my concern as she too was worried of losing her balance and falling down the ramp.

Once we both made it to the top of the ramp, this frail lady did not have the strength to open up the door, which of course I gladly did this for her, only to find the second set of doors was locked.  The doctor’s office was closed for the day! 

Using my cellular phone, I called the office, which was forwarded onto their outcall service only to find out the office was closed for the day and that the elderly lady’s appointment was for the next day. Now what?  I couldn’t just leave this frail lady alone, so I told her to sit down and rest, while I ran up the street to my home to unload my groceries and call her a taxi to take her back home.  I would return back to her in five minutes time.  Her anxiety abated, she waited for my return; giving me a big smile of relief when I did.

If I did not listen to my instincts, this elderly lady would have been stranded, with no phone, and no one to help her.  She more than likely would have tried to shuffle her way down the ramp and could have fallen and seriously hurt herself.  She could have been laying in the cold and rain for awhile before someone would have found her. If this lady were able to walk down the ramp unattended, she would have had to shuffle her way down the block, going to each house until she found someone at home to call a taxi for her.  An exhausting feat – no pun intended – for this elderly lady who had difficulty walking.

My husband is disabled and confined to a wheelchair and keep a cellular phone for emergency use only; in case my husband needs to call me when I need to go out or if we both need help and find ourselves stranded.  The cellular phone plan we use costs less than $14.00 per month for 40 minutes per month and is a monthly expense well worth paying for.  When an emergency happens, a cell phone is a life saver.

The elderly lady, mentioned the assisted living complex where she lives has a monitoring system only inside the complex but do not have an emergency system for their elderly tenants to use when they leave the complex.  This is dangerous for anyone who is elderly, especially if they have a mobility impediment.  A cellular phone, even with a minimum monthly plan, will provide help in case an emergency happens.

SUMMARY:

SENIOR CARE – Seniors have special needs just like small children have special needs.  The problem is that we know more about baby care than we do about senior care. 

ELDERLY PARENTS – For the first time in modern history our elderly parents are living longer and require special care.  One item of care is your parents independence and a cell phone in case of an emergency should be considered.

CELL PHONES – Apply for a simple low minute feature for your parents to use while traveling about town or even if they are in their backyard.  If your parents are in trouble they can call 911 for help.

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http://www.familycaregiverhugs.com/blog/senior-care-caregiving-pets-are-great-stress-busters-in-elder-care/