A funny story about pacemakers and church name tags

My client’s husband just turned 90. He has Alzheimers. After a fall and lengthy stay in rehab last winter he has improved beyond his baseline much to her surprise.

Recently he was very concerned about the battery life in his pacemaker. The cardiologist assured him he had 4.1 years left on this battery. This matters as this gentleman wants to make it to 100.

Last week during church, my client heard a beeping. She reminded herself his hearing aids were charged so that was not the noise. She then began looking around to see where the beeping was coming from.

The church had just gotten magnetic name tags, and she realized the magnet was deactivating (albeit very slowly) his pacemaker!  For those unaware, to turn off a pacemaker, such as at the end of life, a tech deactivates it with a large, powerful magnet.

When she realized this she slowly reached over to take off his new name tag, and the beeping immediately stopped.  She laughed and pondered how many months of battery life were used up during the sermon.

Caution – be careful in church if you or your loved one has a pacemaker.