Staying Independent After a Fall

At 82, my mom had fallen twice before, so she was careful to avoid unnecessary risks. When she needed something from a high shelf, she asked my dad to get it for her. She drove, rather than walked most places. So when she fell for the third time, it took all of us completely by surprise. 

“It wasn’t like I was out climbing Mount Everest,” mom recalled. “I was walking from the parking lot into the library”. She fell on her way to the front door.

My mom’s biggest fear had always been falling if she was at home alone.  “This was in the middle of the day, in a public place,” she told me. “You’d think it would be easy to get help.” But Mom was on the ground for hours before someone noticed her.

When she fell, mom immediately felt that something was broken in her arm. Without the use of this arm, she couldn’t get herself up and she couldn’t reach her cell phone. It was a hot summer day, and people driving by had their windows closed with their air conditioning and radios on. Nobody noticed her lying on the ground waving her good arm. Nobody heard her cries for help. Two hours later, one of our neighbors finally saw her and called the paramedics. She was taken to the hospital for a broken wrist and dehydration.

I still shudder to think what might have been. Thankfully, mom is OK. But, had we known about MyNotifi, she wouldn’t have been lying in the sun, exposed with a broken wrist for two hours. We would have been alerted and would have known the fall occurred. I could have called the paramedics right from my cell phone to get to her faster than I could. Now, mom clips the MyNotifi right on the waistband of her pants, or if she decides to go on a hike or exercise, she wears the wristband. It has given her greater peace of mind knowing that we will know. And frankly, I’m thrilled that she is confident and more active. 

MyNotifi simply connects to an app on her smartphone, so it goes with her wherever she goes and can notify my dad and me when a fall occurs, even if she can’t reach her phone. There are no monthly fees, and no call centers. And it comes with an exercise plan developed to help prevent falls. We hope she never has to experience a fall again, but if she does, we all feel safer knowing that she can get help right away.

Do you have a MyNotifi story to share? We’d love to hear it. Send it to us at info@mynotifi.com for a chance to win a free MyNotifi device.

For HIPAA and security purposes, this scenario is based upon stories and lifestyles of the 50+ population. All names and identifying details have been changed.