Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: C.K. Houston who wrote (7834)	8/8/1999 2:20:00 AM
From: C.K. Houston	Respond to of 9818

When scanning this article, "100,000 still Powerless in [London] Meter Crisis", I missed this paragraph ... She also complained of rudeness by people on the hotline. She claimed that when she pointed out to an operator that people on ventilators or home dialysis need electricity to live, the voice on the other end of the line allegedly told her: "Well, they'll be dead then." thisislondon.co.uk COMMENTS: I am furious!!! Why can't they put power back on for the people whose lives depend on it first!! Home dialysis patients can't go for very long periods of time without dialysis. 48 hours could mean death for them for certain. I hope and pray these people are able to get their treatment in time. Hopefully at a clinic or hospital that has power ... -- shellie (shellie01@hotmail.com), August 07, 1999. Come on Shellie, don't be a goofus. Anyone with a handicap severe enough to require life sustaining equipment at home must understand the risks and maintain a back up system and not rely on the power company. They cannot guarantee power delivery anytime. To place yourself or a family member at this grave a risk is irresponsible and stupid. Power companies are not in the life sustaining business, hospitals and health care facilities are and they have back up systems. Get with it people! -- Jake (Jake@GetReal.com), August 08, 1999. greenspun.com Jake, I work with patients with cronic renal failure every single day. I do hemodialysis in a clinic. But I do know that a third of our patients are on home dialysis and no they do not have any sort of backup plan. Most of the time they can not keep there access clean enough to keep out infection for one and there is sooo much more to home dialysis than one would think. Alot of these patients have so much wrong with them that they would not even think of having a back up plan. The machine they use works while they sleep to pull the water out of them and half of them do not know how to even run the system. They have a family member hook them up to it and all. If the patients have to go to a hospital to have the treatment done (that's if they have one available with power) they will be so over crowded trying to get all the people in for treatment. A single treatment takes 4 hours per person. I agree they should have a backup plan but how many people do you know that actually does? We have become so damn dependent on electricity that we don't think twice about ever having to live without it. -- shellie (shellie01@hotmail.com), August 08, 1999.