Tonight I have my own call light

I've been living here for almost six weeks without a call light. It's been quite disconcerting. I've been using a blow in/breath activated call light since 1998. It means I do not have to try to hold onto a call light. It is is a straw mouthpiece mounted on a gooseneck arm that attaches to the side of the bed. When I blow into it, the call light comes on.

It was hard getting used to not having my call light. The first few nights I kept reaching for it with my mouth, and realizing it wasn't there. But, maintenance said their call light system was too old to work with my type of call light.

However, after my roommate fell the other night, I decided I must have a call light. When that event happened, I realized that I had no way to help my roommate or myself, and it frightened me.

I filed a complaint with the local nursing home ombudsman's office. The ombudsman rep visited on Tuesday to check on the status of my call light. She said it was unacceptable that I didn't have one and was trying to use a nursery monitor instead. The aides and nurses were not responding to the nursery monitor very well. I wondered if they could even hear me.

Immediately, the maintenance man started on a work around that would allow my call light to work.

Today, I went out with a friend for lunch. When we returned my call light was set up on the bed. Although it was done incorrectly, I wanted to see if it would work. My friend blew into it but the call light did not come on. She went to get the maintenance man and he showed us, by blowing into it himself, that it worked. Then, I showed him where its supposed to be set up on the bed, and he repositioned it.

I'm using it this evening and I feel so much better. It's terrible when I feel like I can't communicate when I something. I have put it on twice this evening and it has been answered. That may not happen right away, every time. But at least I have a way to notify the aides and nurses that I need assistance.