It's meant to give one peace about living alone when falls or sudden illness leave you vulnerable. That is why we got it. That is why we pay a small monthly fee. It has done just that. But this last few weeks it has just about driven me nuts!!
Papa got his Lifeline several years ago. Then he received a newer unit a couple of weeks ago. Honestly, it looks exactly the same, works exactly the same, so, I'm just not sure why it is better, but it must be or they wouldn't go to the time and expense of shipping it, right?
This newer unit was mailed directly to him. Papa, not wanting to be a burden, which I greatly appreciate, opened the box and tried to install it himself. It didn't seem to be working. He told me this when I called to see if he was okay. I assured him I would be in the next day and be sure it was working right for him.
Friday, I went to Georgetown to take Papa to his doctor for a check-up. After we finished, I went back into his apartment to fill his med boxes for the next week with the changes Dr. Weckman gave us. Then I set to work on this Lifeline machine.
It was connected just fine. I asked Papa where the old unit was. The box the new machine came in was empty and sitting on his kitchen table. He didn't know where any of it was. I told him our original agreement with Lifeline was a monthly fee which we could get out of anytime. We just needed to return all equipment. We didn't purchase the equipment, it all belongs to Lifeline. I felt sure we needed to return the old equipment. Papa did a little searching and managed to find the old machine. Or was it the new one and he put the old one back on. He wasn't sure. I was able to confirm which was old and which was new by a date on the bottom of each machine. So, I had a box and the old communicator. However, I had no wires and Papa didn't have a new help button to wear around his neck.
Knowing what I did have, I called Lifeline, explained what had happened and asked if we were to mail this older communicator back to them. The Lifeline guy said we were to mail all of it and there would have been a new help button in the box. There was no new help button and Papa's old button was not talking to the new communicator. He was very helpful and polite and we were able to program his original help button with the new machine. The man told me he would mail a new help button and I should return the old machine with the pre-paid label in the box. With a little searching I found the pre-paid label in the paperwork.
I left Papa's, came home and typed a letter of explanation about what Papa had received, what I was returning, and that a new help button was being mailed and I would return the old help button once the new one was received. I researched and found that the only FedEx I had access to was two drop boxes, one at each of the two Pilot stations on the way to Georgetown. At this point it was too late to drop the box off for Friday, so I would have to wait until their next pick-up on Monday. This turned out to be fortuitous.
Saturday, I had things to do in Lexington so I did not go to Papa's apartment, just talked with him on the phone.
Sunday the 14th, I went to Papa's after all my Church meetings to visit for a while. Guess what he found? The molded plastic that went in the box and had the extra cabling and that new help button. Goodness. I took this back to my home so I could contact Lifeline Monday morning and see if they could stop the shipment of the button we requested on the previous Friday.
Monday morning I spoke with Enid at Lifeline. Again, their staff is so patient and so helpful. I explained what had happened thus far. I suggested they mail all things to me and I would be sure they were installed correctly and mailed back correctly in the future. Bless her heart, she tried to tell me how to have Papa open the box and carefully match items as he changed the equipment and then keep it all together and mail it back. I assured her that at 86 years of age, hard of hearing and with no short term memory, that just wasn't going to happen. But thanked her for the suggestions.
The end result was Enid said to wait for the new help button to arrive. Program it with the new communicator. Then mail all the old stuff in the box and the new extra help button and the old help button back.
While Papa was on his trip with Junie when the new help button arrived. I was able to program it with the new communicator and call Lifeline to verify all was working as it should. I left the new button by Papa's phone and took his old button (which I had Junie be sure he left on his kitchen table) home with me.
I opened the shipping box which I had prepared the Friday before, took out it's contents, placed all the items in their respective molded spots including the original help button, put the replacement help button in the mailing package they sent with it inside the box on top of the molded plastic container with all the other items, included the original instruction booklets and typed a new letter of explanation and placed it on top of all this. Then I taped it shut and set it in the back seat of my car to drop at the FedEx dropbox. That didn't happen until Friday on my way home from taking Claude in for oral surgery.
Isn't this a lovely saga? Such an interesting life I lead. I am grateful my father is aware it takes a lot to care for him. I am grateful he doesn't want to be a burden. I am grateful he tries to help when he can with maintenance items. But sometimes, yes, sometimes, it would be sooooo much easier if he left the newly received box on the kitchen table so I could install and then bring all the items home and only have to deal with it one time. Lots less time and energy. I truly believe these are lessons for me in patience. I truly believe that is something I am supposed to learn from all this. I honestly can find no other viable explanation.
Yep, Lifeline could just about do me in.
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