I phoned my elderly friend to have a chat this morning. We kept getting disconnected! After our chat I had to take the princess pup for a pedicure.
On our return I called my pal to see if she was interested in doing her shopping and banking. The phone rang a long time without an answer. I ran upstairs to quickly change and tried calling again. No answer! I jumped in the car and galloped up the road. I had to climb a bloody snowbank to get to her door! She was sitting at the kitchen table sorting her mail. I forgot to mention that a technician from Bell came rumbling in along side me. So, while the phone guy tried to figure out what was going on there, I went out with a bucket of salt and a shovel to dig out her back door. Three inches of solid ice was a bit tricky!
After the Bell man left we loaded into the car with walkers and canes and shopping bags and headed for the town. We had planned to hit the bank first, but there was a big honkin' truck offloading right in front so we couldn't get near. We headed up to the grocery store where sticker shock got the best of us and we left depressed and poor.
The big ordeal happened at the bank. It's on the main street. In front of the bank are two dedicated handicap parking spots. That is all well and good until you notice the big snowbank one has to climb over to get into the bank! These snowbanks are all ice due to the whacky weather we've been having lately. There was no getting her in through the front entrance. We wheeled around to the back parking lot where yet another obstacle presented itself. There are seven steps DOWN to get in. Keep in mind my pal is barely mobile. She uses a walker and can't lift her feet more than a couple of inches. Wearing winter boots further inhibits her movement. There is a handicap parking spot at the back door of the bank, but a curb to lift to get in the door, then those terrible stairs. Well, I managed to get her down the stairs by standing in front of her as she grasped the hand rail. I took the walker ahead and placed it on the floor. I demanded that the teller service my friend in one of their booths as she cannot stand at the counter. It took quite awhile to get her business done there while I sat in the waiting area stewing about what an awful state that town is for people with mobility issues.
The bank took the position that she should sign up for online banking. I don't think it's realistic that an almost ninety year old person should need to buy and learn to use a computer at this stage of the game.
Our family is no stranger to these issues. My father and daughter were wheelchair bound. It has been 30+ years since my daughter lived at home with a mobility issue. We were loud and demanding for change then. It saddens me that little has been done to improve in the town. Beyond crossing curb cuts and more dedicated parking spots, there has been little change.
Is her only phone landline? Must be since the Bell guy was there. You can bank using a cell phone, but I don't suppose ...
ReplyDeleteWe don't have cell service here. Our tiny hamlet of 18 households is in the shadow of a cliff. We are also at the end of the line for all services. Bell has known our phone lines ( where our internet is too) are deteriorating badly for at least ten years. Many of the wires are laying in the ditches and will soon be under water!
DeleteThank you for being such a good advocate. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI thought that businesses and cities were supposed to accommodate people with disabilities, instead, it seems that most are putting the Handicap Parking furthest from the doors.
ReplyDeleteStay Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
I am almost 84 and I do all my banking and a lot of my shopping on line, especially when the snowbanks are the way they are in our town. I had to go to town, though, to get my hair cut. Can't do that on line. I walked, with cane, on the street until I got to a place I could access the hairdresser. People were really kind and held back on driving by me, I hasten to report. It is a nice small town that way.
ReplyDeleteI bank on a landline, AC.
ReplyDeleteMy pal had a couple of bills that couldn't be paid via telephone banking, which she has a good grasp of. And of course there is the issue of her phone quitting mid call. She needed to clarify if some payments had even gone through.
ReplyDeleteI'm a pretty quiet introverted person in person UNTIL something like this develops. My voice sure changes when children or elders are at risk.