Age 55+ Condos, Heart Attacks, AED and 911
May 11th, 2007 Connecticut, Deeper Thoughts, Family Life
Not for nothing but older people have more medical issues that younger people do and generally are at risk for life threatening health emergencies at a much higher rate. It’s pointless waste if you save all your life for your golden years together and then one of you lives alone because it takes too long for an ambulance to arrive after your spouse has a heart attack.
Is there a Automated External Defibrillator (AED) anywhere in the complex? It’s not like they cost the earth compared to the price of building a large complex. Unpaid link to some is here at American AED. Anyone can use one with about 5 minutes of training.
Old dude goes down, you think it might be a heart attack. One person calls 911. One person tears his shirt open and sticks the two paddles to his chest in the places the pictures shows. Stand clear. The AED reads the hearts sinus rhythm automatically. If appropriate the AED shocks the patient. It repeats as needed.
Basically as long as you can open a box, read a picture, know how to work a couple of big stickers and can push a button… you can work an AED. There is no excuse for building a large complex and not having them.
Also in general, I think all older people need to seriously think about moving within striking distance of a decent emergency medical response. The 55+ complexes may be exceptionally beautiful, comfortable and pampered, but once you start adding in “secluded” with an endless maze of winding roads…
When shopping for a age 55+ condo, ask “what’s the emergency response time to here?” If you get a horrified look as an answer - well there’s your answer.
Emergency medical response time is an important factor for everyone of course. Having a nearby hospital with a 24 hour Emergency Room is an important feature to consider when buying a home anywhere. It’s not by accident that I live in Bristol Connecticut, rather than in North Eastern Wanderlust Connecticut.
Connecticut also has a lot of hilly areas left fairly untouched. If you’re buying out there, it’s also worth finding out if your cell phone works out in the wop-wops too…
…aka dead spots.
May 11th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Ok, I’m looking at this picture and I see a guy in coveralls with a cat carrier to his right and he has a young lady with her shirt torn open exposing . . . and there is a protable TV laying at her waist.
She was watching American Idol when her cat got out of the carrier, her favorite contestant just lost, she ripes her garments in protest and passes out just as the guy from the cat retrieval service shows up to see the final results on her little TV. And I’m not sure where his eyes are.
Oh, my gosh, I just read the post. I wish I could say the cat carrier caught my eye first.
I hope the cat’s OK.
May 11th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
LOL I think I’ve destroyed my ability to write a serious post.
Did you like the Winnie the Pooh easter egg?