Emergency Preparedness for the Safety and Protection of Our Elders
You pride yourself on being relatively safety conscious. You don't skydive, race cars, mountain climb, bungee jump, or participate in other "Bucket List" activities that might possibly void your life insurance. You don't even ride on roller coasters, just in case there is a clause banning it buried deep within the fine print. You gave up water slides years ago.
Ailing in health, admittedly being half a step less quick and agile as Michael Jordan cutting to the basket in his prime, or simply a bit clumsy or ungraceful, you worry at times about living alone in your home. Railings installed for support in strategic locations around the house may already have been suggested by your children and implemented. The shower or tub may also have additional no-slip patches. You know that if you ever had a heart attack, one of the best things you could do to save your life would be to cough deeply and hard (continuously). You also keep a couple of chewable aspirin in small packages in your wallet at all times to take in case of heart attack as well. Training yourself to self-administer the Heimlich Maneuver by sitting in a chair or putting your back up against the wall and aggressively thrusting up and in the thumb side of your fist by grasping the fist with the other hand was checked off your list a few years back already. As soon as they figure out a method to self-administer CPR, you'll sign up for that class, too.
You've been pondering lately all the necessary utility shutoffs you'd need to do in case that big earthquake comes they've been talking about the potential for for years. And you change the batteries in your smoke detectors twice yearly at daylight savings time adjustment just as the local fire department recommends. You also have a carbon monoxide detector plugged into the wall in the hallway going to your room. A fire extinguisher is in the closet just off the kitchen, and another one is in a separate closet at the opposite end of the house. An emergency car kit is in the trunk of your car. What you would really like is another railing in the middle of the garage bolted to the floor that you could hang onto and pull yourself out of the car with, and to get yourself steady before you walk into the house.
Beyond all these things, you think you are adequately prepared, although something that your nurse daughter said recently has been eating at you a smidge. She had "lovingly" suggested that you get one of those silly necklaces with a button that you push in case you fall and can't get up on your own. Well, you think you can still manage to get to your feet if you needed to, and you want to still feel somewhat independent. "It's just precautionary," your daughter said to you, "in case you broke a bone and couldn't move." You're still mulling it over, thinking she may be right. Why not? If it'll make her feel better, you rationalize.
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And so you get on to ordering a medical alert system. And then you call your daughter to report it to her. She's happy, so you're happy, and you get on with your life.