topic Re: Family Member Phone Numbers in Community Chat

Family Member Phone Numbers

Marp — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:01:05 GMT

If you were in an emergency situation like the wildfires and did not have your cell phone how many family member phone numbers would you know by memory so you could contact them and let them know you are safe?

Listening to the reports from the California wildfires about people that cannot be located made me realize I have become so dependent on phone memory that phone numbers have been erased from my memory. That lapse is being cured as I type.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Suzeecat — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:04:07 GMT

Zero. I sometimes have a hard time remembering my own phone number! It's a lost art, I believe.

Just thinking here, I wonder if you could notify the Red Cross and perhaps they have a list that could be checked if someone called looking for you.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

San Antonio Gal — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:05:42 GMT

None. Zip. Nada.

Excellent point. Our entire world is wrapped around this little thing in our hands.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

CANDLEQUEEN — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:06:21 GMT

all of them. I know my mom all of my siblings, my daughters, and my aunts phone numbers, plus my pastor and assistant pastor.....

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

beckyb1012 — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:09:33 GMT

I still carry in my purse a mini address book that looks like it has been in a wildfire or at least big brawl. Pull it out all the time for addresses but keep it updated for all family and friend contact info. Love the size so I have had it for about 25 years. Old school I know having that thing but it comes in handy.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Love my grandkids — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:10:33 GMT

I know them all.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

chrystaltree — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:13:48 GMT

No one's number. You are so right, with cell phones, most of us don't memorize anyone's number. There's no reason to. My sister had such an experience. She had a mild heart attack and when the ambulance came for her, she didn't think about her cell phone. They took her to the nearest hospital where she had never been before so that hospital had no record for her and no contact info etc. She was there for 24 hours and no one in the family knew. The next day when she was feeling better, she called my brother at work to let him know what happened. She called him at work because she could get his job number from 411.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

aroc3435 — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:14:54 GMT

@Marp I do know them and can still rattle them off.

Resisted for ages having them stored in the cell phone's address book, but do have them there now. Younger folks input them for me since I still have a flip phone. Hard to type on that, but I never text and don't like being texted.

I do keep a small address book in my purse with everything written out, including e-mail addresses. Have an identical one stored in my home.

I've encountered younger adults--I'm in my sixties--that can't even recite their own number, or misquote a sibling's by a digit or two, which I nicely pointed out to one of my adult children, when she was helping me fill out a medical form.

I can still recite every phone number I've ever had since I was in first grade. Not bragging--anything can happen-- but I certainly hope my memory stays good and that the "little gray cells" stay active and accurate.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Laura14 — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:17:41 GMT

I have to pull out my phone every time they need my emergency contact at the doctor's office. And I still don't know how to look it up without accidentally calling them. I am a mess with this tech stuff.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Suzeecat — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:23:38 GMT

Well, now you've got me thinking! Maybe at the very least I could put a little emergency contact card in my wallet. A couple years ago there was a push to have people designate an emergency contact in their cell phones by putting the initials *ICE* (In Case of Emergency) in front of your designated contact's name.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

kdgn — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:27:02 GMT

Prior to everyone having a cell phone I knew home phone numbers from memory. Now they're all in my cell phone contacts and land line phone book.

I need to consolidate them into one list, on paper, and put them in my wallet.

Thanks for the reminder-it's not something I would've thought about!

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

jaxs mom — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:33:35 GMT

My contact list is not just in my phone, it’s available anywhere I can get an internet connection and even on my watch that I wear every day all day long.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Venezia — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:36:36 GMT

I'm old-fashioned. I know my family's numbers by heart and usually dial them (as opposed to using the icon in my cell phone).

I even know my British friend's 15-digit number by heart. I've always had an excellent memory for numbers.

It doesn't pay to get too reliant on devices.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Cakers3 — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:01:20 GMT

I have DH, DS, and DDIL all in memory, for their cell phones.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Carmie — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:05:28 GMT

I call all family members by dialing in their phone numbers.

I trust my memory. It hasn't failed me yet.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

pigletsmom — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:33:06 GMT

I know my parents because it's the same one I grew up with. No idea of their cell numbers though.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Hippiified — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:37:00 GMT

@Cakers3 wrote:
I have DH, DS, and DDIL all in memory, for their cell phones.

I’m same as @Cakers3

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Cakers3 — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:41:41 GMT

@Hippiified wrote:
@Cakers3 wrote:
I have DH, DS, and DDIL all in memory, for their cell phones.

I’m same as @Cakers3

@Hippiified and everyone: It's a good idea to also have your contacts listed with their name and husband, son, etc. - anybody you would want contacted should you be incapacitated.

John Smith Husband

John Smith Son

Jane Smith Sister

etc.

My phone is just a swipe to open; I don't use a passcode.

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

sidsmom — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:51:22 GMT

I’m with @jaxs mom

Everything is online.

Police can locate your ICE/family via name given (if you’re coherent)

or their database/your social media connections (if you’re incoherent).

Re: Family Member Phone Numbers

Eileen in Virginia — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 22:03:23 GMT

If I couldn’t save any of my devices, I’d be in a world of hurt! I used to know my sister’s land line number by heart, but she got rid of it when she moved into her new home. Note to self - document family numbers in case of emergency. Thanks for the reminder!