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There are systems that run on power called home oxygen concentrators. My question is as soon as the power went off why didn't the family call EMS, if she had a hard time breathing she most likely was in a stage of respiratory failure. She would have been admitted to the hospital to bring her back to baseline. By then the family could have worked on getting the power back on.
It was mostly the fault of the woman in hospice AND her family.
1. From the article, she was considered the matriarch of the family, the "glue that held the family together" but why in May, the electric bill was $1800 in arrears? And after that, the family was paying down the bill but they were still behind. So how could it be a surprise when the power was shut off for non-payment? To have a bill of $1800 indicates not paying it for MANY months. Her children should not have let their mother's electric bill fall so far behind. Or maybe they just figured that once their mother died (after all she was in hospice care at this point), they would just let the balance of the bill go unpaid permanently.
2. Then on the day of her death, when the power was shut off, the family wasted precious time by calling the power company to get the power turned back on, when instead they should have begged a neighbor to use their electricity. Like using an extension cord from their neighbor's house to theirs.
Why should the electric company have to chance being stiffed for the non-payment of this woman's electric bill? In this heat, I'm sure that the air conditioners in that home were running full blast and using a lot of electricity.
And everyone who has ever dealt with a utility company, knows that they don't turn the electric or gas back on instantly when asked to. So her adult children should have either moved their mother to an immediate neighbors house or apartment to plug in her oxygen or hooked up electric cords in order to borrow some electricity from a neighbor.
And a lawsuit? The woman was close to death anyway. And why should the electric company be sued because this woman's adult children couldn't figure out where to get electricity from more quickly. AND letting their mother's electric bill get so out of hand. We all have to pay our electric bills, why should this woman and her family be allowed to get electricity without paying for it?
I hope that part of the GoFundMe money goes towards paying off ALL of this dead woman's financial obligations. I'm really sure that she had other bills that she was behind on.
I’ve known a few people who used oxygen. The had electrically powered oxygen generators that they would normally use, and oxygen tanks they would use if they left home or the power went out. They would have several bottles that would last several days. When they got low, they would call the oxygen company to deliver more bottles.
Who lets their overdue electric bill get up to $1800? Why didn't her adult children help her out financially so that she didn't fall behind?
Quote:
The power had been shut off because Linda had fallen behind on payments. As of May 29th, there was a balance of about $1,800, but another bill indicates $300 was sent in in April, $450 another month, and on July 3rd, two days before Linda died, $500 was sent in.
The family should have called EMS immediately instead of waiting for her reserve to run out and also because of the heat with no a/c.
If they received a shut off notice they should have sent a certified letter to the company regarding the medical need for electricity.
You have a serious responsibility keeping someone home on hospice.
But then they wouldn't be able to profit from her death. I can't believe anyone is actually buying this victimhood nonsense.
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