Ding Dong
The Ring Doorbell told us the truth…
“She just sits there all day, and doesn’t do anything for herself,” Erika complained to me.
“What do you want? She’s 93.”
We were both frustrated as we went about our caregiving tasks, waiting on Dorothy, who had undergone a stroke. Over the past few years, she had gradually gone downhill.
It was very hard to get her to do much of anything, except watch television, eat, and sleep. We had to help her get up from her chair, feed her, help her shower, wash and go to bed. She didn’t do anything. If we could crap and piss for her, she’d probably like that as well. Things were tense.
Since Covid, we had been getting more irritated and also paranoid. It wasn’t just Dorothy. Some thefts had taken place in our neighborhood.
A nozzle went missing from our hose. We’d heard stories about Amazon packages being ripped off, and sometimes our groceries were delivered to the wrong address.
“Do you think we should get a Ring Doorbell?” I’m a bit paranoid by nature, and I wanted to ensure our safety.
“Naw, we live in a gated community, what do we need that for?“
“I don’t know, the nozzle, the groceries, what’s next? We’ve been traveling more, and I would just feel better if we had one.”
“OK, let’s see what it costs.”
That was Erika’s dismissal line because the subject was dropped for a while until it surfaced again a couple of months later when we heard about another neighbor’s package that had gone missing.
“I think we should get the Ring. Besides, I’d feel better when we have to leave Dorothy alone. She could fall. I would just like to know that she’s OK,” I suggested.
“Yeah, you’re right, God forbid something happens while where we’re at the market, or out to dinner. She doesn’t like to get up on her own very much, but occasionally she likes to rummage through the pantry.”
The following week we had it installed. We put cameras in the front of the house, the living room, the kitchen, the patio, and her bedroom.
“That should cover it.” Erika seemed satisfied with the installation. We were both relieved and slept well that night.
