First of all I need to explain about Lifeline - many of you ask about it from time to time. Lifeline is an organisation run by our Local Authority. It costs just under thirty pounds a month. For this I get a large degree of satisfaction and comfort. I wear a strap with a button on it on my wrist (I could have a pendant round my neck if I so desired) and should I need assistance I press the red button. This works in my bungalow and in the garden but no further. Lifeline then speak to me - the speaker is in the sitting room and if I am there I can answer. If I am elsewhere they ring my phone and if I still don't answer they ring my son, who lives in the next village - if he fails to answer they send someone round.
When I fell and broke my hip last October I knew I had broken it - I heard it break. I lay on the floor in the sitting room, where I fell ,and it was ten o'clock at night. When the person on duty answered my panic button she asked if I needed assistance - I told her I had fallen and broken my hip could she call my son. She said she would bypass my son and call an ambulance which she did. Within an hour I was in hospital. First class service. Well worth the monthly outlay. When I walk I always have my mobile with me and it has both my son's number and the Lifeline number on it so I am still safe. I don't know whether all Local Authorities provide the service or whether it is just this one. I do know that many people on this estate use them (many retired folk live round here)
I have already had my walk today - it is another lovely day of clear blue sky and a gentle breeze. I did a shorter route on the flat - nearly falling yesterday has given my confidence a bit of a knock. My son gave me a bit of a telling off saying I must not walk if I am tired - he is quite right, I need to concentrate on what I am doing. I hardly saw a soul (human that is) but I think I have learned 'Blackbird'. About every fifty yards or so a different male blackbird took up the story and I came to the conclusion that what he was saying was 'Look at me. I found a beautiful mate, we built a nest, she laid some eggs and kept them warm and we have babies now which are just leaving the nest and we are done - aren't we clever ?' And as if to endorse this there on a lawn were four young blackbirds with mother busily cramming food into a beak. A bit later a different 'song' as a blackbird was shouting 'watch out human about' over and over again. I've got a long way to go with bird language but I have made a start.
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25 comments:
Here we have red winged blackbirds. They don't talk. They dive bomb you when you get too near to their families. It's fun to watch nature. We had a very cheeky crow who used to sit in the tree in front of the house and taunt the cat who sat inside the window staring and making the oddest chittering noises.
We have LifeLine here as well, and it is a valuable aid for people living alone who need the security of being able to call for help should they need it.
I am glad you can reach help if you need it. Sounds like a good system.
I was "talking" to a bird yesterday while I was out weeding. It had a distinctive call and I would whistle back trying to imitate the sound. I never did see it up in the trees so don't know what kind of bird it was but it was pleasant as I pulled and pulled so many weeds!
If you have a smart phone there's a lovely easy to use app called Chirp!
It's great for identifying bird calls and songs.
Yes, please listen to your son, my dear. Broken hips are not only a hassle for you, but for everyone who cares about you... and for you.
It doesn't take long to learn birdspeak... or squirrel speak... or raccoonspeak. :) We just have to care enough to listen.
~Andrea xoxoxo
The blackbirds are so laid back at the moment, spreading their wings in the sun and hunkering down. This warm weather must be bliss for them.
Yes, you've passed your Speaking Blackbird exam! there's been one singing outside my window all afternoon and he hasn't got fed up with his singing yet - and neither have I.
Life isn't a competition, nor is blogging. Just do as you want, not what you think is expected, write something about your day, your books, whatever, or nothing, but your body and mind need a rest and walking can have a rest too and a slow down time and your life will still be good. Sometimes giving in is fun. x
I speak Blackbird too -"chuck chuck chuck" means there's that cat in the garden again.
The Lifeline gadgets are a great reassurance, but my mother-in-law could never remember what hers was for and why she should wear it. She was in fact wearing it when she fell at home and did the same as you, but she forgot about it and spent two hours crawling across the floor to the telephone.
Just like Tasker said above, my late mother-in-law spent all night on the floor after refusing to wear her Lifeline.
We cared for our elderly neighbor lady for several years, and we talked her into getting lifeline. We were the first contact, her other neighbor was her 2nd contact and her sister who lives on an island many miles from here was her next of kin. So our friend fell, and called lifeline who contacted her elderly sister (who has dementia) on the island! So the sister said "Call an ambulance!". Luckily another neighbor saw the ambulance and phoned us and said "Did you know V has an ambulance at her house?" so we went running over and were able to find her medication list, her purse, etc and lock the house when she left. So just be aware of who you have as your "contacts" and who you have as your "next of kin". We wished they had called us first, our friends sister was totally hysterical and had to be hospitalized herself.
Blackbird songs are so melodious. It was one of the things I missed the most when we lived abroad.
Rache you are absolutely right in what you say but I am still finding it hard to give in sometimes.
How lovely to be able to understand 'Blackbird Speak'! Having a fall really does shake one's confidence. I had one a few weeks ago. No real damage but my glasses came off none too well. We really have to think about what we are doing. Stay safe and enjoy this lovely weather.
My Mom has a lifeline too, and it gives us both peace of mind to know that someone would be there quickly if she needed help. She's 93 and only lives 3 doors up the road, so I can be there very quickly if necessary (and often am), but it's very reassuring to know that someone else will help if she needs it when I'm out.
Have you considered one of the Priscillas with 4 wheels and a seat, so that you can stop and sit down if you want to rest or chat to someone? Mom has one of those, too, and it's been really useful.
You are fortunate to have Lifeline available to you. We have similar services here. I love that you enjoyed conversations with blackbirds while on your walk! Nature is such a joy.
My children wish I would get a lifeline service. I always have my phone in my pocket, so I don't spend the money. But I look at all the times I don't have it, like when I put it up to charge for the night...
I love listening to the birds. We have kookaburras which serenade us at dawn and dusk as well as magpies, butcher birds and currawongs - all which sound beautiful. The screech of the sulphur-crested cockatoo is less appealing as is the incessant calling of the pigeons. I always know when the cat is outside as the Indian Minahs go crazy and swoop and call.
I am sorry your confidence has been knocked but I suppose if it helps you be a bit more careful it's not a bad thing. Softly softly does it.
Lifeline gives many peace of mind and it is a good system. As you observed, wildlife are currently very busy. While walking I heard a hissing sound coming from underneath a large birds nest spruce on my property. When I investigated I saw a possum still hissing angrily and eating 9 turkey eggs. I walked away and let nature take its course.
The birds have come back to use the ponds and fountains. They are all flying about for drinks of water in our very hot weather. Lots of bunnies also.
cheers.
My mother-in-law in Ripon has Lifeline, too. Her button is on a pendant around her neck, and one time her cat was sitting on her lap and pressed the button without her being aware of it. Imagine her surprise when all of a sudden there were people coming into her house, looking to see what had happened! Apparently she had not heard the phone ringing, and the arrangement with her means they have a key to her front door.
I love the blackbirds' song in the morning and evening. They are the first thing I hear when I wake up this time of year.
Charllotte my Priscilla has four wheels and a seat and I often sit in the garden on her as she is quite comfortable.
Thanks everyone for your lovely and helpful comments - I do appreciate them.
Edinburgh has a similar service, it really is invaluable!
I think you understand 'blackbird' really quite well!
My husband had a seizure for the first time aged 70. He has been diagnosed with epilepsy. I bought him an Apple Watch which has a fall detection function. If no response is received by the wearer, after a fall has been detected, emergency contacts are notified & emergency services are dispatched to the gps location of the watch.
Yes, Lifeline is a brilliant thing and worth every penny. The only thing is my Mum rarely wears her pendant and the one time she had a bad fall she had to drag herself over to the handset to press the button manually. I really hope she has been making more of an effort to wear it since, but somehow I doubt it.
My brother who lives 10 minutes away is first port of call, the chairman of the residents for the retirement complex is the second and I am the third as I am an hour away by car.
It sounds like you and Mr Blackbird are on the same wavelength. Alan has a Blackbird along the riverbank that plays a game with him most nights. It makes a call, Alan replicates it, the Blackbird adds another element and Alan does that too, when the Blackbird gets fed up he adds an odd warble to the call that Alan just cannot master ... and then Alan has to admit defeat and it all goes quiet. Sometimes I half expect to hear the Blackbird laughing to himself!!
My son was diagnosed with a rare form absence status epilepsy. His seizures show no symptoms until the seizure has lasted for hours! The only warning we had was he started acting only tired at first then gradually he started acting confused and from there for 24 hours he didn't know what year it was, where he went to school, or even what grade he was in etc. his motors skills were perfect and he talked to everyone normal the entire time, he just couldn't answer certain questions. The hospital kept him overnight and gave him fluids and in 24 hours he slowly started remembering and they said he was good and sent us home. We know now that he was having a constant seizure the ENTIRE TIME of his confusion! Almost 3 months later he begins having the same symptoms when I woke him up for his 2nd day of school. we are sent for an EEG, which revealed at 10 am he was actually having what the neurologist referred to as the worst EEG he had seen) we then were sent to a different children's hospital where they observed him until 8:00pm, all this time my son passes every test, he is talking and his motor skills are completely normal! They finally begin his EEG around 9:00pm. It reveals he is still in seizure! They are blown away. Say they have never seen an absence case like his and they quickly gave him a big dose of adavan which immediately stops the seizure and he is able to regain his memory immediately. Does anyone have a child who has these same symptoms? His neuro doctor ordered a brain glucose test, but when we went for a follow up last week they said the test had been canceled and they had no idea what happened? When I asked if they were going to draw his blood and re do the test, they said that his medicine was controlling the seizures so far so they didn't feel the need to do the test! I need advice and some direction. I searched further; visited epilepsy websites, blogs. I find info about someone having the same symptoms. I was really determined. Fortunately for me, I stumbled on a testimony of someone who had epilepsy for several years and was cured through herbal medication. I read awesome stories of people whose condition were worse . But due to numerous testimonies. I was more than willing to try it. I contacted the doctor Gabriel, and my son used the Nectar herbs. It became a miracle for my son free from rare form absence status epilepsy within 3 months. The Nectar medicine worked without any trace of side effects on my son. totally cure. I decided to share my son story to tell people out there, that there is a hope for those with epilepsy using nectar medicine and anyone who suffers from seizures can be cured. Email dr.gabriel474@gmail.com
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