A New Jersey man’s dash to his 92-year-old grandmother’s house turned into a moment of unexpected humor when he received an urgent notification from her LifeAlert system, only to discover she had pressed the button for an unconventional reason.
“So, I was about to go to sleep and I get this notification from LifeAlert,” Paul, who didn’t give his surname, told Newsweek. “Naturally, I rush over there, like I think any grandson would do. When I got there, I asked what happened, and then she tells me she needs me to take her to the liquor store.”
In a video on TikTok that has been viewed over 1.4 million times since it was posted a week ago, Paul recalled his surprise when he saw the LifeAlert device sitting on the counter, and his grandmother, Lynn, asking for a ride to the store to buy more wine.
In the clip, Paul said: “Just rushed over to my grandmas house thinking she fell because she made her LifeAlert go off. Turns out the ’emergency’ was that she was out of wine and she just pressed the button because she needed someone to drive her to the store.”
A picture from the viral video of the grandson. He told Newsweek he was stunned by the reason for his grandma’s alert.
@mrburgies/TikTok
Medical alert systems such as LifeAlert can truly be lifesaving for elderly and disabled people living alone.
The Senior List says that 1 in 3 people of ages 65 or over have fallen, with 38 percent needing assistance from family, friends or paramedics to get back up. Of those who had fallen, 17 percent said they had to wait for over an hour to get help, and 16 percent suffered injuries that required medical care.
Despite the false alarm, Paul dutifully took his grandmother on her errand. However, being under 21, he said that he couldn’t actually purchase the alcohol himself. “I have to take her so she can get it,” he added with a laugh.
Paul’s TikTok page, which has just surpassed 50,000 followers, is dedicated to sharing funny and bizarre moments from his life, often featuring his family. “It’s kind of like a reality TV show, but on TikTok,” Paul said. “I enjoy it, and I love that people are enjoying the videos.”
After the footage went viral on TikTok, 92-year-old Lynn has become a bit of an online legend as comments have flooded in.
Many were impressed by Lynn’s actions, with Opinion Outpost writing: “We love a resourceful Grandma!”
“Tell her I love her and she’s 100 percent an icon now,” commented the1prettycapricorn, while Kelly Bevan wrote: “Your grandma is my spirit animal.”
Another commenter, Lia, recalled a similar moment in her own family: “My great grandma pressed it once because her TV wasn’t turning on.”
