Friend, carer, or slave?

[retro]

Well this takes the biscuit. We have a regular client who has someone on his contact list to contact in the event of an emergency. If he pushes his emergency button, we contact her to pay him a visit.

Now obviously this should be things like 'I've fallen', or 'I don't feel well' but this guy really does abuse the system.

I'll give you some ideas of some recent calls we've had for him.

Cast:
SC - The person who can't tell the difference between a carer and a slave.
ACo - Awesome coworker who got me into this great place.
ME -

1. 2.30am
SC: "Call (contact)."
ME: "It's 2.30am. Why do you need her this time of the morning?"
SC: "She needs to tidy the kitchen."

2. On a Sunday afternoon
SC: Get (contact) over here to do some bloody work.

3. (Contact) has already called us to tell us she's at a funeral.
SC: "Get (contact) over here to make me tea"
ACo: "She's not available today. She's at a funeral for her (relative).
SC: "I don't care. Get her here now."

The thing for me is that she will still jump when he calls but I'm convinced she's one step away from telling him where to shove it. Apparently his contact list had a few people on it before I started but they've all fallen by the wayside leaving just the single contact and does she get the short end of the stick.

[Sheldonrs]

"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"

*crickets chirping*

[emax4]

Leave a funeral for THAT! Aw, HELL NO!! I'd refer him to 911 just so they can deal with his abuse of the system and bill him for the emergency service.

[retro]

I should mention I'm in the UK.

[skeptic53]

More common is the opposite: People like my mom, who won't push the button at all. I glued a tiny photo of myself to the button so she would understand it would call me. It didn't help. She'd fall in the wee hours, and lay on the floor for 3-4 hours because she "didn't want to be a bother to anyone".

[cindybubbles]

I should mention I'm in the UK.

So refer him to 9-9-9, then.

[cindybubbles]

More common is the opposite: People like my mom, who won't push the button at all. I glued a tiny photo of myself to the button so she would understand it would call me. It didn't help. She'd fall in the wee hours, and lay on the floor for 3-4 hours because she "didn't want to be a bother to anyone".

So glue the button to the body part of hers that falls the most. Or get a sensor that she can wear that detects a fall. If a fall is detected then it would automatically call 911 or 999.

[skeptic53]

So glue the button to the body part of hers that falls the most. Or get a sensor that she can wear that detects a fall. If a fall is detected then it would automatically call 911 or 999.

She passed away before fall detection equipment became affordable.

[taxguykarl]

More common is the opposite: People like my mom, who won't push the button at all. ......She'd fall in the wee hours, and lay on the floor for 3-4 hours because she "didn't want to be a bother to anyone".

Sounds like my grandmother who fell on Christmas morning and didn't take the calls for that reason. Fortunately her signal went off automatically, so my mom was able to get her to the hospital.
Yes, I agree that the SC in the OP is going to get ignored when he really needs the service.

[registerrodeo]

I work at an assisted living facility. All the residents have these buttons. They are used for if they fall, get ill, need assistance in the bathroom but we have some serious button abusers. The one who hits the button 6=7 times in 5 minutes when she wants someone to come take her back to her room from the dining room the second she is done eating, even though she is told not to hit the button for that, someone will be down to get her. Another resident will buzz all day long..for a can of ginger ale from her fridge, a piece of candy. She can walk with the aide of her walker, but if she is laying in bed, she wants someone to wait on her (btw, NOT our job!), and of course, we had the resident dirty old man who just wanted one of the girls to come down to his apt, so he could proposition them. And of course you have the ones who do need assistance but would never be a bother and end up falling trying to do something they shouldn't

[LillFilly]

Last week my Grandma used her lifeline button to call and have someone make her some tea and toast because she 'didn't have the strength to get up off the couch'

[otakuneko]

1. 2.30am
SC: "Call (contact)."
ME: "It's 2.30am. Why do you need her this time of the morning?"
SC: "She needs to tidy the kitchen."

3. (Contact) has already called us to tell us she's at a funeral.
SC: "Get (contact) over here to make me tea"
ACo: "She's not available today. She's at a funeral for her (relative).
SC: "I don't care. Get her here now."

"Yes, I'll get right on that."
*does nothing*
*SC calls again*
"Oh she's on her way, said she'll be there soon, yep."
*SC calls again*
"There's been a dreadful accident. She was the only one on the bus that hadn't had the fish, you see..."

[earl colby pottinger]

Wow, fall detection

More common is the opposite: People like my mom, who won't push the button at all. I glued a tiny photo of myself to the button so she would understand it would call me. It didn't help. She'd fall in the wee hours, and lay on the floor for 3-4 hours because she "didn't want to be a bother to anyone".

OMG, now I know why the latest systems have fall detection so they will activate even if the button was not pressed. I always assumed that the idea was if the person could not control themselves enough to press a button the system would do it for them. I never considered that someone would not able to get up but would still refuse to press the button.

[Seshat]

*whistles innocently* I might have done that. Fallen and been unable to get up and just waited until Toth got home .... maybe ....
I also have been in the situation of not having the strength to get off the couch/chair; but I'm doing a lot better about being willing to ping Toth or Bast.

I might take after my Nan.


Back on topic: it's very difficult to balance 'this is what I should do for myself' and 'this is what I should let others do for me', once one becomes disabled. But I believe the disabled person (assuming they're mentally capable) has a duty to ensure that they're in an appropriate situation for their level of need.
Obviously the guy in the OP's story is not. Or perceives his level of need to be greater than it is.

[Sapphire Silk]

More common is the opposite: People like my mom, who won't push the button at all. I glued a tiny photo of myself to the button so she would understand it would call me. It didn't help. She'd fall in the wee hours, and lay on the floor for 3-4 hours because she "didn't want to be a bother to anyone".

This is frequently a problem with 911 calls. I've had patients call 911 and INSIST an ambulance come out because they were tired of waiting in the waiting room.

Dispatch had no choice but to send the rig. Boy was the paramedic PISSED. She refused to load the outraged SC and drive her around the corner to the ambulance bay just so the charge nurse could send the SC right back to the waiting room.

"Yes, I'll get right on that."
*does nothing*
*SC calls again*
"Oh she's on her way, said she'll be there soon, yep."
*SC calls again*
"There's been a dreadful accident. She was the only one on the bus that hadn't had the fish, you see..."

Ooo! Ooo! Airplane! Do I get a cookie?