{"id":4912,"date":"2020-05-19T17:07:30","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T21:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/?p=4912"},"modified":"2024-03-01T07:07:33","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T12:07:33","slug":"a-brief-history-behind-the-phrase-ive-fallen-and-i-cant-get-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/articles\/a-brief-history-behind-the-phrase-ive-fallen-and-i-cant-get-up\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brief History behind the Phrase: &#8220;I&#8217;ve Fallen and I Can&#8217;t Get Up!&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_4913\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4913\" class=\"wp-image-4913 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/A-BRIE1.jpg\" alt=\"seniors hand, elderly holding a cane\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/A-BRIE1.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/A-BRIE1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4913\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit:<a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/sabinevanerp-2145163\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sabine Van Erp<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/hand-woman-adult-hands-elderly-3667026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pixabay<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\"><\/div>\n<h2>Help! I&#8217;ve Fallen and Can&#8217;t Get Up<\/h2>\n<p>Have you ever found yourself reciting a phrase, but have no clue where it came from? A few examples include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThere\u2019s no place like home\u201d &#8211; (Judy Garland, The Wizard of OZ)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cA sight for sore eyes\u201d &#8211; (Jonathan Swift, Gulliver\u2019s Travels)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAs busy as a bee\u201d &#8211; (Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cRoads? Where we\u2019re going, we don\u2019t need roads!\u201d &#8211; (Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, not every phrase is as quirky as it might first appear. This is the case with the line: \u201cI\u2019ve fallen, and I can\u2019t get up,\u201d which dates back to 1989 when it was coined by a 74-year old woman by the name of Edith Fore.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever muttered this phrase with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=v1WMQYd6IwE&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR26mxMmxZJr0PJ2iuoDl9FV2s6791Uf28k6AxQwdoRYb1egZ_6tRRqa93M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">humorous intentions<\/a>, don\u2019t feel bad. It\u2019s actually from an old LifeCall commercial advertising a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/fall-detection\/\">medical alert system for seniors (<\/a>Life Alert had similar ads too and still runs them today. You can read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/reviews\/life-alert-review\/\">Life Alert Reviews<\/a> here.). Since then, it\u2019s appeared in numerous television shows and movies, such as Urkel, Rosanne, Fresh Prince of Bellair, and Golden Girls.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we are going to help you better understand the meaning behind the line by exploring its origins.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>LifeCall &#8211; The Original Help I&#8217;ve Fallen and Can&#8217;t Get Up Medical Alert System<\/h2>\n<p>The scene opens with Mrs. Fletcher explaining how she had used the 24\/7 service to obtain medical assistance after having a fall at home while alone. As she\u2019s lying on the floor of her bathroom, she presses the button on her LifeCall pendant and exclaims: \u201cI\u2019ve fallen, and I can\u2019t get up.\u201d The operator on the phone responds by saying: \u201cWe\u2019re sending help immediately, Mrs. Fletcher.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the elderly woman lying on the floor was not actually Mrs. Fore, she did create the phrase. When asked about her experience over a phone interview, she explains that \u201cThey needed someone who had actually used the service.\u201d Which, she had in fact, on several past occasions, when she had no nearby assistance.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, rather than take offense at the situation, she\u2019s been able to make light of things. Claiming: \u201cI\u2019m just trying to have fun with everything that\u2019s happened so far.\u201d Now when you think of a medical alert system, this phrase automatically comes to mind. It is something people of a certain generation will forever associate and that is thanks to the amazing marketing campaign of this product.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What is a Medical Alert System?<\/h2>\n<p>If you didn\u2019t already know, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/buyers-guide\/\">medical alert system<\/a> consists of a wearable device that\u2019s linked to a 24-hour a day, 7-day a week assistance service. It typically consists of either a pendant or a wrist band with a button on it. It\u2019s usually subtle and easy to conceal. Entry-level systems feature the device, as well as a \u201chome\u201d unit. Other more advanced systems, feature cellular and\/or GPS capabilities as well as fall detectors.<\/p>\n<p>The sad truth is that each year 1 out of 4 US seniors (aged 65+) have a fall, 1 out of 5 of these result in a severe injury. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/articles\/tips-on-making-a-home-safe-and-accessible-for-seniors\/\">make their home a safer space<\/a>. Regardless, accidents happen, and by utilizing a medical alert system, you at least ensure your loved one can reach help.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Need Help Deciding Which Medical Alert System is Right for You?<\/h2>\n<p>Consider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/about-us\/\">MedicalAlertAdvice.com<\/a>. For more than 10-years, we&#8217;ve been\u00a0 helping seniors and family members alike provide their loved ones with the help and support they need when choosing the right medical device for their loved one. Check out our product reviews, buying guides, and informational articles today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Help! I&#8217;ve Fallen and Can&#8217;t Get Up Have you ever found yourself reciting a phrase, but have no clue where it came from? A few examples include: \u201cThere\u2019s no place like home\u201d &#8211; (Judy Garland, The Wizard of OZ) \u201cA sight for sore eyes\u201d &#8211; (Jonathan Swift, Gulliver\u2019s Travels) \u201cAs busy as a bee\u201d &#8211; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4913,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[341,340,67,285,342],"acf":[],"modified_by":"ArticlesTips","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4912"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8021,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912\/revisions\/8021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}