Your stories
I hate to admit it, but I’m frail…
“I’ve always been a strong man. I never shied away from the challenge of lifting something heavy and like a lot of my mates, I did my back in at an early age.
Now that I’m older, I struggle with the fact that I’m not that person anymore. I hate to admit it, but I’m frail. Last month I went to hospital because one of my toenails (the only part of me that is ironically NOT frail) attacked my leg while I was sleeping and I nearly bled to death. Then it became infected and that almost killed me and now I live in fear because it scares the hell out of me that I nearly died from scratching my own leg!
My daughter thinks I’d be safer in a nursing home and even though the thought of leaving my own home makes me sick, perhaps she’s right.”
I’d never felt so helpless…
“For two days last June I lay on the floor of my home of 42 years, in horrific pain, unable to pick myself up, unable to call for help, unable to feed myself, unable to make it to the bathroom, unable to determine just how injured I was. Not a single soul knew I was in trouble.
I’d never felt so afraid. Never felt so ashamed and I’d never felt so helpless than I did during those 48 hours. I’d always prided myself on being able to take care of myself but I quickly realised just how vulnerable I was. Lucky for me, my story has a happy ending, I was thankfully found and given the care I needed. But the whole episode was traumatising.
I didn’t know during the 48 hours I was stranded, that I was going to be found in two days. Although I tried to keep a positive outlook, I had considered the possibility that I might never get up off that floor! Afterwards I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks and didn’t like to be left alone. It put enormous strain on my family and we decided I should move to a nursing home.”
I’m tired of being afraid…
“I’ve always loved my home and the street we live on. My neighbours are lovely and I used to do a lot for my friend who lived next door, until she passed. But the neighbourhood is changing, us oldies are dying off and young families are moving in. And that is lovely too, in it’s own way.
The house across the street however has a group of young people and there is a lot of comings and goings. The music they play is loud and often I hear tyres screech or a motorbike revving as they leave or come home. It can be a bit frightening. But the worst part is, for the first time in my life I was robbed.
I’d been out with my son and when we came home the place had been turned upside down. I didn’t tell my son but I’d been keeping quite a bit of cash around because it’s hard for me to get to the bank these days and I don’t like to be without money. It was all gone. Now I’m terrified they’ll come back! I hear about old people being attacked in their homes all the time and I’m tired of being afraid. Maybe I am too old to live on my own.”
I’m a grumpy old man…
“I never thought I’d be a grumpy old man. It’s the sort of thing that creeps up on you. All my life I’ve been a strong, healthy person. I’ve lived a fulfilling life, raised a family, done some travel and made a decent living.
But slowly, it seemed, my body turned against me. It started with some niggling aches and pains, followed by a few stints in the hospital, and now a cocktail of medications that I need everyday to stay alive and that makes me grumpy. It makes me grumpy that I can’t walk for very long without my legs and/or lungs struggling. It makes me grumpy that I can’t do things for myself anymore. It makes me grumpy that my kids ‘have’ to check in on me constantly. I miss my independence.”
These are just a few of the true stories that inspire EMS to find solutions to keep people in their homes SAFELY for longer. With the safeTcare model, our clients are monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year! The device is the latest technology and more importantly simple to use.
Everyone deserve the freedom to take charge of their independence and stay in their own home for as long as they safely can. Words like Dignity, Integrity, Pride and Care spring to mind. Since the 1990’s we have provided solutions to both the security and Emergency Medical Alert Services. The security industry has many rules and regulations, the medical alert industry does not. Standards for this industry must be created and as a company, we act accordingly. It is our goal to see this materialise.
Our very own developed EMSconnect and Generation4 technology, now more than ever gives you and your family the assurance that we can help in every circumstance and even easier to share information in emergency situations. From having a customer’s health information/history at a hospital before the ambulance arrives, to being able to email or SMS a photo to authorities to help find missing persons or dementia sufferers.