Kind of Scary

[Drac]

This is for everyone who has a loved one that has one of those medical emergency pagers or thinking of getting one..Make DAMN sure they have the CORRECT ADDRESS..Responded with the EMT'S on a woman that had fallen and couldn't get up tonight..The provider gave the dispatcther the WRONG address...The lady sat on the floor for 35 mins..Thankfully she wasn't injuried when she fell..

 

[Steel Tiger]

I hear what you're saying. A wrong address is bad. Medical matters require accuracy. Just recently here in Australia a number of medical organisations have been sending patient medical records overseas so that they can be typed into a database. These records are going to the Phillippines and Pakistan, countries where English is a second language at best. These are the sort of records that have to be accurate, but these offshore data-processors are notorious for making spelling errors. I wonder what will happen when someone dies as a result of these attempts to save money.

 

[Drac]

Not good at all Tiger..The other part to the story is that the provider called the wrong dispatch center..They had to call our center and we had to dispatch the squad..So double check to insure that they have ALL the correct information, addresses and WHOM to call...If that would have been my Mom the providers would have been thankfull for the miles that seperated us...

 

[Steel Tiger]

Not good at all Tiger..The other part to the story is that the provider called the wrong dispatch center..They had to call our center and we had to dispatch the squad..

It sounds like the woman would have been better off with a straightforward emergency call.

 

[Drac]

It sounds like the woman would have been better off with a straightforward emergency call.

Yes she would have, but she couldn't reach the phone...

 

[Steel Tiger]

Yes she would have, but she couldn't reach the phone...

Doesn't that just suck.

 

[Drac]

Doesn't that just suck.

Yes it does BIG TIME...

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Yes it does BIG TIME...

Absolutely that is terrible.

 

[jks9199]

This is for everyone who has a loved one that has one of those medical emergency pagers or thinking of getting one..Make DAMN sure they have the CORRECT ADDRESS..Responded with the EMT'S on a woman that had fallen and couldn't get up tonight..The provider gave the dispatcther the WRONG address...The lady sat on the floor for 35 mins..Thankfully she wasn't injuried when she fell..

I HATE that crap with alarm monitoring companies.

We've got one place in town that has about 6 buildings that share the same address. Each building has a suite 1, 2, 3, etc. Each building has a name. IF you know the name & suite, you can find the business. Otherwise... Good luck. Have fun checking each building until you trip over the right one...

That... and I love the alarm monitoring companies that don't believe us when we tell them a place isn't in town. I got to respond to a fire alarm one night because, after the 3rd call from the same idiot at the alarm company, my sergeant told dispatch to just send me since I was close, and I could call for fire if there was a need. There was. (Led to a deal between me and the firefighters... I can't handcuff fire, they can't soak down criminals, so we stick to our own business!)

If you've got an alarm or any sort of monitored system like Medic Alert... Make sure they have the right address, appropriate details (like what floor, apartment number/suite designation), and the right numbers to call for services!

 

[jdinca]

I HATE that crap with alarm monitoring companies.

We've got one place in town that has about 6 buildings that share the same address. Each building has a suite 1, 2, 3, etc. Each building has a name. IF you know the name & suite, you can find the business. Otherwise... Good luck. Have fun checking each building until you trip over the right one...

That... and I love the alarm monitoring companies that don't believe us when we tell them a place isn't in town. I got to respond to a fire alarm one night because, after the 3rd call from the same idiot at the alarm company, my sergeant told dispatch to just send me since I was close, and I could call for fire if there was a need. There was. (Led to a deal between me and the firefighters... I can't handcuff fire, they can't soak down criminals, so we stick to our own business!)

If you've got an alarm or any sort of monitored system like Medic Alert... Make sure they have the right address, appropriate details (like what floor, apartment number/suite designation), and the right numbers to call for services!

Can't tell you how many times I've responded to a burglar alarm in a fire engine...

 

[Ninjamom]

...........Medical matters require accuracy.........sending patient medical records overseas so that they can be typed into a database..........the sort of records that have to be accurate, but these offshore data-processors are notorious for making spelling errors. I wonder what will happen when someone dies as a result of these attempts to save money.

I highy recommend everyone make a periodic review of your medical records to check for just such errors. Your medical records belong to YOU, not the doctor or his office.

While I was in the Air Force, my blood type changed several times . Fortunately, I caught all the changes, and was able to get my records corrected before they became life-threatening typos.

 

[Drac]

I stayed on scene while the squad did it medical assessment of the lady before we assisted her to her chair...The medic alert box came on and a voice asked "If the squad was there yet?"..It took every ounce of professionalism in me not to say "Yes they are, no thanks to you"...

 

[hong kong fooey]

thanks for the info. dont need one yet but one day I might thanks

 

[Drac]

..Responed to another elderly persons residence..Her daugher lives in Akron and was unable to reach her Mom via landline..We knocked on the door and rang the bell and looked to see if we could spot Mom laying on the floor...The daughter gave us permission to force entry if we see her..Finally see spotted a flickering light in an upstairs window and threw stones at it ..The lady looked out and came to the door..It seems the phone was not seated in the cradle...If you buy Mom or Dad etc...etc..a cordless phone MAKE SURE that you impress upon them the fact to ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK to insure that the phone is properly seated..

 

[jks9199]

..Responed to another elderly persons residence..Her daugher lives in Akron and was unable to reach her Mom via landline..We knocked on the door and rang the bell and looked to see if we could spot Mom laying on the floor...The daughter gave us permission to force entry if we see her..Finally see spotted a flickering light in an upstairs window and threw stones at it ..The lady looked out and came to the door..It seems the phone was not seated in the cradle...If you buy Mom or Dad etc...etc..a cordless phone MAKE SURE that you impress upon them the fact to ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK to insure that the phone is properly seated..

Had a few along those lines...

We've got one guy in town who is very hard of hearing. Someone (I don't know if it's kin or some sort of monitoring company) calls him each morning to check on him. If he doesn't answer the phone -- they call the cops. So far, they've all been variants of the phone off the hook or the ringer turned off or the hearing aid batteries being dead.

 

[Drac]

Had a few along those lines...

We've got one guy in town who is very hard of hearing. Someone (I don't know if it's kin or some sort of monitoring company) calls him each morning to check on him. If he doesn't answer the phone -- they call the cops. So far, they've all been variants of the phone off the hook or the ringer turned off or the hearing aid batteries being dead.

Yeah we have one of those in the township too...Been there a few times because the neighbors in his apartment bldg have attempted to knock on his door because his TV was to loud..When after a few attempts they call us..

 

[Bob Hubbard]

..Responed to another elderly persons residence..Her daugher lives in Akron and was unable to reach her Mom via landline..We knocked on the door and rang the bell and looked to see if we could spot Mom laying on the floor...The daughter gave us permission to force entry if we see her..Finally see spotted a flickering light in an upstairs window and threw stones at it ..The lady looked out and came to the door..It seems the phone was not seated in the cradle...If you buy Mom or Dad etc...etc..a cordless phone MAKE SURE that you impress upon them the fact to ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK to insure that the phone is properly seated..

Happens to my grandfather all the time. It's of course the phone's fault.

 

[Drac]

happens to my grandfather all the time. It's of course the phone's fault.

Of course it is...

 

[Drac]

If you have a loved one that lives with you and is not comfortable in the English language, MAKE DAMMED SURE that there is some kind of contact information in their purse or wallet..Had a lady that missed her bus and spent the next hour weeping and crying, she had no information on her and could not understand us and visa-versa..We took a guess that she was speaking Russian and drove to the local church where a Priest was able to understand and we drove her to work..

This could also be helpful if you believe your loved one might be in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease. The old fashion neighborhoods of our youth are vanishing or in some cities gone for good. In the days gone by people knew and watched out for their neighbors.Such is not the case anymore..

 

[jks9199]

If you have a loved one that lives with you and is not comfortable in the English language, MAKE DAMMED SURE that there is some kind of contact information in their purse or wallet..Had a lady that missed her bus and spent the next hour weeping and crying, she had no information on her and could not understand us and visa-versa..We took a guess that she was speaking Russian and drove to the local church where a Priest was able to understand and we drove her to work..

This could also be helpful if you believe your loved one might be in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease. The old fashion neighborhoods of our youth are vanishing or in some cities gone for good. In the days gone by people knew and watched out for their neighbors.Such is not the case anymore..

Project Lifesaver and similar programs for Alzheimer's patients and other wanderers are also great. They do a number of different things, from what amounts to "people Lojack" to nametags for clothing -- and advice built on experience about what nametag options work.