| Author |
Message |
Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Friday, March 27, 2020 - 8:23 pm 
I went to two Freddie's (Fred Meyer, Kroger affiliate, Pacific Northwest) senior days. Both were absolute ZOOs with seeming thousands of seniors running around bumping carts into each other, all super stressed. No more senior shopping for me. The second time there were HUGE lines of people with full carts. I put the stuff back on the shelves, went back a few hours later, shelves re-stocked, nobody in the store.
|
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Saturday, March 28, 2020 - 1:48 am
Ralph's, which is also Kroger, lets seniors go to the front of the line any time of day (and they have added in medical people). They also monitor how many are in the store and have decals on the floor in line areas (deli, meat, checkout main line and in each checkout) to suggest 6 feet apart.
No chaos now.
|
Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Sunday, March 29, 2020 - 9:19 pm
IMPORTANT! If anybody is still up and cares about that Holland America cruise ship, The Zaandam. that nobody would take in, and the other ship, The
Rotterdam, that went to help it on the west side of the Panama Canal, I am watching the Rotterdam transit right now in real time. Zaandam already made it through!! Yay!!!
https://multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/cocoli.html
|
Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 8:23 am
Medical Alerts
I think it is time I get a medical alert system
I live alone. Yesterday I missed the last step going down to the basement and ended up on the floor.
I cannot get a fancy system right now because I don't have a Smart Phone.
I have a land line that I can hook a system up to.
Could somebody suggest a good, easy to use system that they have had success with?
|
Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 8:28 am
Oh dear, Dogdoc. Don't have anything to recommend except wanted to let you know I care!
|
Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 8:52 am
Thank you Kar. I am fine but I might not be the next time.
|
Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 9:11 am
I hope someone can help you soon. TVCHers are very smart, and I know they'll be here soon with suggestions.
|
Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 9:15 am
Dogdoc, I have Greatcall system from Walmart.
You can wear it around your neck like a necklace and it is waterproof for showering.
Used it once when I fell outdoors. That big red truck came right away to help me up.
I recommend this system to you.
|
Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 9:28 am
P.S. I believe the cost is around $30.00 a month. My system was a gift from DIL so I don't pay the bill.
Reminds me that she and my son can track my whereabouts.
|
Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 10:53 am
Thank you Rosie. I will look into it.
|
Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 12:09 pm
Do you just want someone to know you are ok on a daily basis or do you want to be able to call for help by punching a button?
|
Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 12:13 pm
I ask because I did do some research/questions on this, I think we had a big discussion here on tvch, and there are places you can check in online everyday. I will have to look around for it, I know I wrote it down to check further (and then got distracted and moved on to other things, LOL).
Anyway, there seems to be services where you text, email or call everyday by a certain time. I think they were cheaper than $30 per month.
|
Chewpito
Member
01-03-2004
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 12:19 pm
I am glad you are OK Dogdoc' Its something I also worry about as I get older.
I have put those stick on 'no slip' strips in my garage cause the cement floor is terribly slippery' after giving the dogs baths in the back yard and walking back in with wet bare feet its like a slip n slide.
And I refuse to use 'soft soap' I am always getting it for gifts and I just use it to wash my clothes cause It makes the shower floor crazy slippery.
My Mom has some sort of system where she lives that she buzzes and it sends the med helicopter to her home. The closest hospital to her is 30 miles away and all us kids worry constantly about her.
As we get older we need to be EXTRA careful. Right now would be a horrible time to get medical care' everyone be safe.
|
Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 12:35 pm
Dipo, several friends check on me by phone each day.
With this 'stay home' order there are more chances for falls.
I am 76. I just want something with a button to hit to notify someone I need help.
Chewpito, I am about 10 minutes from a hospital.
There have been a number of friends who have fallen recently and have gotten hurt. I take that as a warning.
|
Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 2:04 pm
When I hit the button, I was connected to a person that continued talking to me until fire department arrived. This Greatcall is supposed to notify my son/DIL but for some reason they were not notified about my fall.
This one is for emergencies that you require attention.
The old "help, I've fallen and can't get up."
|
Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 3:02 pm
Rosie, that sounds good.
I hate the ad where the lady lies dying on the basement floor.
|
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 3:26 pm
Sometimes there are group rates. A friend got one through her senior mobilehome park. She had a necklace thing, or a watch with a button. She had to push a button on a box they installed before a certain time eachbday. If she forgot, they would ask If she was ok and if she did not respond, they would have called 911.
|
Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 8:04 pm
OR, if the smartphone is necessary to what you already have, you could get an inexpensive smartphone and use Tracfone as your carrier. The cheapest you can do it is $20 for 90 days service. You get a small amount of minutes, texts and data for that time period, but if you are just using it as a backup emergency phone, you won't use much, and it all rools over. Oh!! And with certain smartphones you get triple the minutes, etc. So, minimum is 60 minutes, 60 texts, 60 Mb, and those triple, so you really get 180, and then when you reload, you can google for a discount code and get like 60 extra free minutes, so within a year, you will probably have a pretty good backlog built up. It's really a great deal for what amounts to $7 a month after the procuring of the phone.
Oh!! And I happen to have a spare Android smartphone with a SIM card for Tracfone, and it gets triple minutes, and it works fine, and I have tried to give it away in our over-55 community and no takers. Let me know if you want me to send it to you. Includes charger and nice rubber (or soft plastic?) protective case. You can also use it as a mini-computer on your home Wi-fi. My e-mail is in my TVCH profile.
Oh!! Just in case you do not know this fact, which I "think" is still true: You can use any old smartphone, and it doesn't even have to be connected to a carrier, and you can call 911 on it for free. Somebody let me know if this is no longer the case.
And this reminds me of Twinkie. We used to have a cellphone thread here, and I considered Twinkie the queen. Twinkie inspired me to get my first flip-phone, and I loved it, and then she showed me how to get monthly service for really cheap, except with a bad company, and then Twinkie passed on, and I had to go it alone, but I think she would be proud of how far I have come, and Twinkie would SO have Tracfone right now. Blessings to Twinkie in the great hereafter.
|
Chewpito
Member
01-03-2004
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 8:25 pm
On Juju' I too remember Twinkie'... Thanks for the memories...
My son in law gave me one of his old smart phones and I never connected it' but I used it all the time on my router' or at Starbucks or the library' it was really kind of fun..and I paid nothing. just used WiFi' but for Christmas they gave me a nice phone and I finally got connected thru T mobile' a magenta plan...Unlimited and 40 bucks a month.. I was hesitant but I must admit' I like it...
and right now in these days' My doctors will only see me on face time or over the phone' unless I am dying. so that is something I never had with the flip'
times are changing and I guess I need to move on'
|
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, April 06, 2020 - 10:59 pm
Tracfone here.
But I really just use my cell for a few calls and texts.
|
Tntitanfan
Member
08-02-2001
| Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 1:23 am
Juju - if there are not other takers I would love to have the phone you offered. Unlike 99% of America I do not have and have never had or used a cell phone! As I live alone, I am coming around to believing that I need one! I will send you a check for postage and a bit over for your favorite charity - I will put my addy in your personal folder!
|
Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 5:16 am
Juju, thank you. Let Tntitanfan have the phone.
My nieces has one for me and will have to teach me how to use it.
She wont be able to visit for awhile.
I have a Tracfone and just renewed the minutes.
|
Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 5:21 am
I think it will be a long time until I can use a smart phone.
I have a little flip phone TracFone.
|
Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 11:44 am
LOL, I too have a tracphone, I have it on my person all the time just in case I fall. It is usually in my pocket but if I don't have pockets I have one of those lanyard things with a pouch that I can put it in.
While my phone is considered a smart phone it is just a Android phone with a touch screen that I rarely use.
|
Chewpito
Member
01-03-2004
| Tuesday, April 07, 2020 - 12:19 pm
I had a tiny flip phone till up to Christmas' when my kid demanded that I connect'... I resisted so much' I told her all I needed was a PHONE; but like I said above' I connected after Christmas cause they bought me a nice one' and right now' I am glad'
I too' am a bit backward, but this is a new time and everything right now is done on the phone or online so I guess I am adapting.
You will like it Tntitanfan if you get it' you can just use the wifi and dont pay anything. you can text on it in the messages'but you cant talk.
It wont be a phone 'per say' but a handy little pocket computer to use with wifi.
|
