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Who can you call to pick you up if you fall at home? Sounds like a silly question, but do you have to get a bracelet with a panic button? Are the other options?

My dear mother has fallen twice at home in the last few months and my father cannot pick her up. So each time he called 911, they sent an ambulance, the drivers took her to the closest ER, then she spent 2 days having cat scans and blood tests that showed nothing. This routine is likely to continue unless I can suggest a different course of action.


Thanks for any input.

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In Florida, when my mom found herself on the floor, I called 911 but asked for the paramedics. They would come, pick up my mom, asked her if she hurt anywhere. She never did and no trip to the hospital. Can she refuse to go to the hospital? Did you know you can get the med alert buttons for free sometimes? Income low enough? You might be surprised what she can get just because of her age.
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Jlyn69, I have a friend who is a realtor and he has to get a little creative sometimes with the lockboxes. They can be hung on a porch railing or on a porch light. On occasion he has had to put a stake in the yard on which to hang the box.
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Question about the lockbox on outside of door - those I've seen hang over the door knob. What to do when the door knob design is a lever type? Yes, it is easier for parent to grasp but won't accommodate a lock box.
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I am so glad to read some of these posts sometimes because I will burst out laughing, re: Needstowashhair and accompanying posts. Thank you for a bit of levity among some weighty issues.
Something these posts reminded me of concerning falling: Years ago, both my parents received some occupational therapy about “how to fall”. It was immensely useful. I once witnessed my dad from across the room lose his balance and fall before anyone could stop him. I watched him tuck his body and arms in as he fell and when he hit the ground he just sort of rolled. He was a little bruised but unhurt and he said they taught him how to fall in a way that would lessen the damage.
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Grandma1954: Oh, my..please forgive my error. I really made an embarrassing blunder and hope you will accept my apology. 
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"Llamalover"
My comment to.."needtowashhair" is the posters "name"
I by no means meant that washing hair is an emergency.
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Grandma1954: I did not realize that washing hair was deemed a medical emergency. Really?
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"needtowashhair"
911 is the call you make, and ask for a lift assist. In most cases if you call the non emergency number they will transfer the call to the dispatcher.
When you call 911 and ask for a lift assist you can tell them that the person is not hurt and does not need transport to the hospital. In most cases they will send the paramedics in the ambulance and quite often the fire truck will be dispatched along with the ambulance. This is done in case there is another emergency call.
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I wish my area had a "lift assist". I normally can do it but once I simply couldn't get grandma up. She was in a weird spot where I had no leverage. So I called the non emergency number for the fire department and ask if there was anyone I could call to pick an elderly person off the floor that is unhurt. She admonished me about not calling 911. I repeated said it was not an emergency and all I needed was help lifting grandma up. She said she would send someone over. Who came over? A full fire unit and their rescue ambulance with full sirens and lights. They did show up really quickly though. Less than 2 mins.
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9-1-1 is the protocol of care. EMS will then arrive and ask the potential patient the question "Do you want to go to the hospital?"
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When you call 911 you ask for a "Lift Assist"
When the paramedics arrive you just ask them to lift the person up, place them wherever you want, wheelchair, bed.
They will ask if you want or need transport to the hospital.
Decline further medical care. (Unless the person is obviously hurt) they will ask you to sign off on papers showing that they were there, you declined transport to the hospital.
I had to do this about 9 times over 4 years and I never had a problem and I was never pressured into a Hospital transfer.
The Paramedics are trained to help lift someone and it is safer for them to do it than for you and another family member or a neighbor.
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My husband has FTD dementia and has fallen a lot this past year. I was able to get him up most of the time but the neighbor helped me once and I called 911 X2 and they picked him up, I just said that he has fallen and I can not get him up. I am a RN. He was not hurt, I just know he will be going down and I help him to the floor. The paramedics check if he is ok and ask questions but never took him to the hospital. I have not been charged. I have a transfer-lift belt with loops on it to get him into the wheel chair (amazon), and just try for him not to fall. Elderly of course could fracture a hip. DO anything you can to prevent a fall but using a walker, wheelchair, commode, hospital bed, walk in shower, etc. I had physical therapy help to strengthen his legs by some exercises, and how for me to pick him up and not hurt myself. THat was helpful, but unfortunately he is worse since then is going to bed bound. Do they need a caregiver in the home? Maybe they need to go to assisted living. I feel for you and your parents, use the equipment available to help.
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I was told to call the Volunteer Fire Department. I was also told that if I call 911, explain it is just to get a 96 yr old off the floor and to ask for the fire department.  Where we live, every ambulance call is $600+ and not covered by Medicare.

So far I have managed to get him up - but I know the day is coming.

Lifts are not cheap but they are available and it might be the way I go instead. Hospice will supply a Hoyer Lift but my DH isn't on Hospice yet.
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I had been calling 911 and tell them it is not an emergency just need someone to get my mother up. But now she is on hospice, I can't call 911. I call hospice first then they told me to call the fire department and fire department's good about getting my mother up.
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Some years ago (okay, 35) when my widowed grandfather was living with my parents, he was unable to get out of the bathtub, and my mother, who was home alone with him, was unable to lift him up and neighbors were away at work. She called the police and a policeman came and got him up. This seemed to be a sensible way to handle the situation. Not everything has to be treated as an "emergency".
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In my area, the EMT's really don't mind getting calls for "lifts" when someone falls. It gets them out of the building on a slow day.

Now, regarding falls and head injuries. Sometimes the elder doesn't want to be a bother so the elder won't tell the EMT's that a head bump had happened. Head injuries in the elderly can be quite serious. And some head trauma cannot be seen outside of the skull.

One time when my Mom went to the ER, an scan showed she had a brain bleed prior to the current brain bleed. Oh gosh, apparently Mom had a previous fall that Dad didn't tell me about. Sadly the current fall caused Mom's demise a few months later. Oh, if only Mom would have used a walker, she refused big time.... [sigh].  Mom kept saying "oh, Dad will catch me if I fall"..... yeah right, Dad was unable to get out of his chair for at least 5 minutes due to mobility issues, how was he going to stop a fall from across the room [rolling eyes].  Denial.
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Jeannegibbs you can give The Police Department the code to your lockbox, they will keep it on file..when my mom was still living at home, we put a lock box at her back door after she fell and broke her hip. Fire Department had to break open other door to get in. So we put the lock box on when she came home from Rehab. One morning as I was driving to her house, she called me, she slipped on to the door from bed. I called police department, told them box code. By the time I got to her house the EMTs had mom back in bed. ENT’s said they put her code on file..
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But then, how is the help going to get into my locked house, with me lying helpless in the basement laundry room? Hmm ...

JeanneGibbs - get a lockbox for your front door. It has a combination lock that someone can open and it has a front door key inside. If you have to call the paramedics, you can tell them the combination.
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Great question! I'm thinking about it now for myself. I'm not a particularly high fall risk, but I do live alone and am getting older!

I bought a leather pouch that I carry my cell phone in all day. (Women's clothing can't be counted on to have pockets.) So, as long as I am conscious I should be able to summon help. So far, so good, right?

But then, how is the help going to get into my locked house, with me lying helpless in the basement laundry room? Hmm ...

I need to be sure all nearby family members have keys. Even if my petite granddaughter couldn't lift me, she could at least let the firemen in.

The one time I got called by my mother's alert system, her door was locked. I got the apartment supervisor who opened the door with a pass key. But then the chain was on! He had to go find a bolt cutter. Having someone come is the first step. GingerMay, your father is home with Mom and he could open a door. But for people who live alone, the other important step is how is that person going to get in?
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We call the Fire Department in our town and ask for a "lift assist." They send 3-4 Firemen to get Dad or DH (yes, I care for both of them) on their feet. If they seem uninjured, we refuse the ambulance that they offer.
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This happened many times with my parents when my brothers could not be reached. My sister who lived with them called the fire department. They gave her a special number to call so they would not send a truck with sirens blaring. Two burly firemen in a regular truck would arrive to get them up. Of course they were called only when it was certain that there was no injury, for example, sliding out of the chair onto the carpet.
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These guys should be in assisted living. This was my parents exact situation 2 weeks ago. Mom had some bad falls, cousin found her beat up and bleeding.

She went from hospital directly to assisted living and I moved Dad in 3 days later.

Just about the toughest few days of my life but it had to be done.

I was totally burnt out with all the worry and trying to keep their ship afloat.
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I would call the Police Department for a “lift assist” they would then send EMT out to lift Mom off the floor and back into bed or chair depending on what time of day it was. I hated calling for help, but what else could we do...
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Mother's "panic button" called people in a line: First, the family she lives with (brother, oldest daughter, then me, then my sister, then the EMT's) Somebody was usually there to get her pretty quickly. Brother and his family are late, heavy sleepers and I got called a couple times along with the EMT's. They were kind, but absolutely NOT happy to be called (yet again!!) to just help mother off the floor.

We changed the call list to include MORE people, to give the family she lives with more time to get to her. I am like, 6th in line and the EMT's are maybe 10th.
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My MIL (who should not have been living alone) had a panic pendant, which would first call a family member. If one was available they would go to her house to help her up. If nobody was available the service would call 911. Once the medics got there and helped her up she would refuse to go to the hospital. This happened FREQUENTLY, and frankly I think a waster of taxpayer dollars when it happens multiple times a week.

So if you have a family member, or friend, who lives close by the pendant service could call them to help her up. And if 911 is called, she can refuse to go to the hospital.

But it might be time for a different living arrangement, where there is somebody nearby at all times to help.
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