81 yr old mom with early/high function dementia likes calling 911. Each time they come out it is $3K. Then she likes to call friends/acquaintances and tell them that we are kicking her out of house and trying to take away her money. So what can I do. Take away phone seems to be the best for me, but during Covid it's her connection to outside? I can't seem to win.
Any ideas? Any suggestions for activities to occupy her time? She helps with food prep, but that is only 1-2 hrs max. Maybe fold laundry? Gardening maybe but limited space. TV makes it bad for me cuz she sees commercials for cell phones (told her I lost her phone for now).
She is happy when she gets what she wants.
The phone needs to go away permanently if you know this is what she's going to do with it. My aunt had to have her phone taken away after repeated calls to 911 and nobody appreciated it anymore.
Everyone is happy when they get what they want and unhappy when they don't. But in this case, it's way too costly and outrageous to allow the 911 calls to continue. Get her a fidget blanket. Or have her fold wash cloths. Or watch pre recorded movies that don't have commercials. Go to Amazon and look up 'Alzheimers activities' and choose some things that catch your eye. Simple arts & crafts projects are also a good idea to keep her occupied. Create a schedule whereby she's kept pretty busy throughout the day and that should solve this dilemma.
Good luck!
Have you talked with your local 911 dispatch service to ask them for help? They may know of a solution that is not readily available to the general public.
I would contact whatever agency is charging you and see if they have some sort of community liaison person/office. If so, contact them and request a meeting, if possible - if not, talk to them over the phone. Explain mom's circumstances to them, that she is suffering from dementia and truly believes she needs their help when she calls. It will help if you can have something in writing from her doctor confirming her diagnosis. If you live in a fairly small community, it's not a bad idea for them to know mom's situation anyway. Go up the chain of command if you have to. Be polite but firm. If you have this conversation over the phone, follow up with a letter - for whatever reason writing often gets a quicker response.
If you can't get anywhere with the agency in question, contact your local elected ombudsman/councilperson/etc. You shouldn't be getting charged for an unnecessary response under these circumstances.
No one should be forced into the scenario you're describing, contemplating disabling 911. That's dangerous.
I like the suggestion of checking Amazon for actives for dementia and hope to find things to occupy her physical and mentally.
thank you for your ideas.
Even if you “lose” the phone if you have a landline she can still make the calls.
Some iPhones have an automatic call 911 feature. Are you sure she is actually dialing? Or could it be a phone feature that is doing the dialing?
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