lansbury

I must admit to viewing such adverts with a little bit of light hearted mirth until today.

Realized the dog was missing and couldn't find him anywhere until I heard crying coming from under the deck. The top of the deck is about 15" off the ground, at most, with side boards all the way around. The sun is beating down on the deck and it is too hot to touch. Find the spot where dog had dug a hole to get under, but now he can't get out. I manage to scrape some earth away and help him get his head out, but now he is stuck under the side board with his body under the deck. He is frantic and wiggling like mad while I try and hold him to stop him hurting himself. Start calling for Mrs L, finished shouting as loud as I could, nothing, have to leave dog to find her so she could hold dog to stop him from moving while I dig around him. I heard you calling she says but didn't know what you wanted or where you were. So she just got on with what she was doing. No neighbors came to see what I was shouting help for. The dog having been dug out was none the worse for wear.

If I had fallen over I'd still be there. Perhaps I might get a Life Alert I can see the use of them after all.

Steerpike

Glad it ended well ...

I used to go up on the roof to clear out gutters, and once in a while I'd need some help - handing me a tool or similar so I didn't have to get down off the roof, etc - I'd shout and stomp on the roof to get the attention of my partner, but she never came out... I used to ask her ... what if I'd hurt myself and needed emergency help? Silence ...

Must be a woman thing ...

Rete

Not a fair comparison. Your partner is hearing impaired and either never heard you yelling and/or thought the stomping was you banging on the gutters to clear them.

caretaker

Or an insurance thing...

carcajou

For those who haven't been in the US for 30 years . . .

The title of this thread is about a product called "Life Call" whose elderly actors and their catch-phrases ("I've fallen, and I can't get up"), in the late 1980s, became part of the American cultural lexicon and will be recognisable to any American over 30. The commercial was in heavy rotation during the advent of cable television in US homes.

Mods - I haven't checked it but I'm pretty sure this company hasn't been around for years or moved on to other things.

caretaker

It looks like they're still the 2nd largest provider of medical alarms in the US, but riddled with complaints, making some of the other companies better choices.
Life Alert Review: Pricing, Praises, Complaints, Pros & Cons
I was looking into a service like that for someone else but the expense makes me lean towards just getting them a cell phone to carry and hope it suffices.

Steerpike

Ironically, the trend towards smartphones, and away from the good-old flip-phone, has meant a drop in convenience/reliability from an 'emergency' perspective. In the dark ages, before smartphones, you would actually charge up your phone once in a blue moon and it was small enough to fit in any pocket. Nowadays you are lucky if you can get a whole day out of a charge, and the phones are too big for most pockets. Not to mention, a tad delicate!

Nutmegger

Then you haven't watched much TV lately (which obviously is not a bad thing!) -- the ad is on some channel every day.

lansbury

Actually from a practical side I think the alert buttons are better. If you fall and are dazed all you have to do is press a button. Having once been introduced to the symptoms of concussion by 4 large Irishmen I can vouch for how difficult thinking is when you are disorientated and dazed. Trying to use a cell phone to call 911 could be too much.

Nutmegger

You would think so, but we got one for my OH's mid-nineties mother, and she was unable to press the button (I wasn't there, so didn't see just what the pendant is like), despite being mentally together and reasonably physically fit, so back it went.

Rete

I believe the OP is in Australia. Do they have the same commercials downunder?

lansbury

Nutmegger

Now that might have worked! Though it does look suspiciously like the button that would ensure prompt delivery of copier toner . . .

Dorothy

No, we don't. Our TV is just as (or probably more) crap as the US, though.

daveincolchester

The commercial was so widespread that there was all kinds of jokes about it.

I've got one of these thingies that you you use to keep your bottle or can of beer cold which states :-

"I've fallen and I can't reach my beer"