Living alone in the city, there's really no system to take care of you
I was home alone when I ended up going to the emergency room for back pain. I had to call 119 and was barely taken there by stretcher. At the hospital, all I got were vague responses.
They asked me, "Have you been drinking? If you sleep alone and the pain gets worse, come back. Is there anyone living with you we can contact?" I couldn't answer that question, and for some reason it made me feel incredibly sad. We've long been living in an era where many people live alone, and even my close friends live far away because of work.
I'm sure there are plenty of people in the same situation as me. What should local communities or public systems actually do to better support single-person households like this?
6 answers
For real, being sick alone is the loneliest.
I've also been living alone for five years now, and I found it helpful to register my underlying conditions in advance on the 119 app before going to the ER. The public health center even called for a consultation. My heart still feels a bit empty, but it was useful in its own way.
Well, public systems can't look after every single-person household. Communities also only come alive when individuals are willing to participate. The reality is that nothing gets done if the person involved doesn't step up. Rather than blaming the system, it seems the first step is to build closer relationships with your neighbors.
There are so many single-person households these days, why isn't there any policy for them?
I've been through something similar, and at the hospital, when they asked, "Living alone is dangerous—do you have an emergency contact?" I cried for a long time. More than relying on local community, I wish there were proper procedures for checking contact networks for single-person households in emergency situations first. Is that realistically that difficult?
Oh no... it's really sad when you're sick all by yourself.