Rolling power blackout - home essential medical equipment
Discussion
Great Aunt has herself in a tizzy at the mo. She has an oxygen device which is mains operated (the controller that monitors the oxygen flow).
She is worried that in these three hour blackouts she will be left without it working. She gets very short of breath after five minutes without the oxygen and sometimes passes out. She also has an emergency "buzzer" thing she can summon help with, which is I think via her landline phone - I thought modern landlines don't work with no power (or is it the handsets - if I unplug my phone from the main it doesn't work.
She has asked her carer this week, who has tried the power suppliers (Scottish Power) vulnerable person contact details but only been able to fill in a online form, not having been able to speak to anyone as just held in endless queues. I'm in a different region and got through to my energy suppliers vulnerable peoples line and they were rather vaugue as to what to do apart from "is there someone elses address she would be able to relocate to?
GA did ask me (as I loosely work in electricity generation) if they wouldn't turn her power off, but I'm pretty sure the power for whole areas (towns? counties?) will be off for everyone? (I heard a couple of "entrepreneurial characters" at the bus stop the other day mention that the power cuts will be great for going burgling).
Lives in a block of flats (ground floor) with no outside space so I presume generator is out. Some sort of home battery system? Bottles gas without feedback control?
She is worried that in these three hour blackouts she will be left without it working. She gets very short of breath after five minutes without the oxygen and sometimes passes out. She also has an emergency "buzzer" thing she can summon help with, which is I think via her landline phone - I thought modern landlines don't work with no power (or is it the handsets - if I unplug my phone from the main it doesn't work.
She has asked her carer this week, who has tried the power suppliers (Scottish Power) vulnerable person contact details but only been able to fill in a online form, not having been able to speak to anyone as just held in endless queues. I'm in a different region and got through to my energy suppliers vulnerable peoples line and they were rather vaugue as to what to do apart from "is there someone elses address she would be able to relocate to?
GA did ask me (as I loosely work in electricity generation) if they wouldn't turn her power off, but I'm pretty sure the power for whole areas (towns? counties?) will be off for everyone? (I heard a couple of "entrepreneurial characters" at the bus stop the other day mention that the power cuts will be great for going burgling).
Lives in a block of flats (ground floor) with no outside space so I presume generator is out. Some sort of home battery system? Bottles gas without feedback control?
You could reassure her by reminding her there won't be 3hr blackouts. Even the people in charge of making the bloody stuff have come out and said it. But for some reason there's corners of the media that report it will because some idiot without an ounce of common sense (let alone technical knowledge) has said so.
She should not follow those outlets and try a different place to obtain news from.
She should not follow those outlets and try a different place to obtain news from.
Allegro_Snapon said:
She is worried that in these three hour blackouts she will be left without it working. She gets very short of breath after five minutes without the oxygen and sometimes passes out. She also has an emergency "buzzer" thing she can summon help with, which is I think via her landline phone - I thought modern landlines don't work with no power (or is it the handsets - if I unplug my phone from the main it doesn't work.
Perhaps one of the first things to do is make sure her landline phone is a bog standard, old fashioned, plug in the wall, no electrical connection, type of handset, then at least the phone works and she can join a queue of thousands trying to contact the emergency services. Slackline said:
You could reassure her by reminding her there won't be 3hr blackouts. Even the people in charge of making the bloody stuff have come out and said it. But for some reason there's corners of the media that report it will because some idiot without an ounce of common sense (let alone technical knowledge) has said so.
She should not follow those outlets and try a different place to obtain news from.
What he/she said. This pretty much stinks of the whole "the country will run out of petrol". And the only reason we did was because everyone panicked (Well done media) and bought the stuff! She should not follow those outlets and try a different place to obtain news from.
Thankyou all, I read a bit more and saw it might only be 1hr in a three hour window.
Don't think she has had a power cut since having the equipment....but thinking about it there must be some resilience in the device if you get a power trip? I'll see if I can find a copy of the manual if she lets me know the device name.
Don't think she has had a power cut since having the equipment....but thinking about it there must be some resilience in the device if you get a power trip? I'll see if I can find a copy of the manual if she lets me know the device name.
The rota would be 3hr power cuts and in the first instance likely just once per day. The times will be advertised in advance.
The DNO will not be able to keep the connection to a specific house live while also disconnecting your town, even if you flag they are vulnerable.
If the device doesn't have an inbuilt back up you could investigate one of the various portable power stations available online - basically a big rechargable battery. Just size it appropriately and make sure she knows how to use it (although it is basically plug and play).
The chance of power cuts is not high, but if someone's health depends on it then seems sensible to take precautions.
The DNO will not be able to keep the connection to a specific house live while also disconnecting your town, even if you flag they are vulnerable.
If the device doesn't have an inbuilt back up you could investigate one of the various portable power stations available online - basically a big rechargable battery. Just size it appropriately and make sure she knows how to use it (although it is basically plug and play).
The chance of power cuts is not high, but if someone's health depends on it then seems sensible to take precautions.
Bill said:
Does she have a cylinder for when she goes out?
I think the last time she went out was in an ambulance about 5 years ago when she first collapsed!!!!!!Todays news is health company that supply the oxygen bottles are looking to get power backup batteries out to venerable people. Apparently the device should run for 2hrs which gives her time to relocate / go to hospital..............this is in Aberdeen......I bet A&E there isn't 2hr admittance.
Now she is worried about lighting candles in the dark (she was in Yorkshire in the 1970s, hubby was a miner, remembers the 1970s 3DW) and her oxygen leaking and blowing the flat up "so she'll have to stay in the dark and hope her careers find her OK"!
Sounds like managed care home time rather than independent living.........
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