“Hi there!” a lady’s chirpy voice says through my receiver.
“Oh sorry, who is speaking?” I ask… I had no idea who this lady was.
“Kiara!” She told me.
Dumbfounded, I say “Oh, sorry, I’ve got the wrong number”.
I hang up the phone, dumbfounded! I stare at the receiver trying to recall if I know anyone by that name….I definitely don’t.
My sister had been notified of a few false alarms from my fall detector device so I decided to test it out last week. We realised that it had a fault and was dropping the call mid-way through the conversation. When I tested it to call through the contacts, I was shocked to learn that my primary contact was someone that I didn’t know.
For the last two years, “Kiara” the stranger has been my primary contact to be called if I have a fall, someone that I don’t even know. The device has been set up incorrectly with a person not in my support network. Another problem with the alarm.
I contacted the company to inform them about the fault with the device, as well as the contacts being set up incorrectly. They asked me to post it back to Perth and they will fix it, but during that time, I’m without a fall detection device which puts me at risk.
I asked them what I would do during the time that it would take to fix it, and was told that to replace it and set up a new one would be costly and timely. Basically they explained, sending the device away and fixing the issue was easier. I reluctantly went without it but was frustrated and terrified that this was my only option.
Having the device let my supports know if I’ve had a fall is a huge source of reassurance since I’m living alone. It gives me independence to know that if something does go wrong, I’m not totally alone.
It’s frustrating to think of other people that this system is working, especially for those who can’t afford to go without backup for days or weeks, where there’s no other safety in place.
There really needs to be some kind of backup for those people. I am fortunate to see someone daily, but for those living alone who don’t have that kind of support system around them, going without a fall detection device for a few days could be catastrophic.
Remember to continue to test the equipment that supports you or another to ensure that it’s doing as it’s designed to do – help you. Reviewing your systems means you can be sure that it’s working and not contacting strangers. Having a ‘plan B’ or a back-up for that extra ‘peace of mind’ for the person using the device and also their supports is also great to put in place.
How can you help another review where things are at and provide that extra reassurance?