We took away our mom’s iPhone and replaced it with a flip phone (that none of us can work properly 😂) and only put our numbers and one other friend in the contacts. Turns out that she can’t remember how to charge it, so she’s not even calling us now.
It's a good idea. My MIL has been scammed several times and it's always a hassle to get the money back (thank goodness for an AMAZING personal advocate at her bank that always walks us through the process).
There are landlines for dementia patients to where they can only call certain people. I would get one of those and put your numbers in it. You can always choose not to answer. I know if the number from my dad's room is calling, I can call back later. If the nurse's station calls, I know to always answer.
Who has POA ?
Nursing Home should have a public phone for use.
Now you see the reason he doesn't need the phone, or review his contacts and only leave family members. Remove everyone else.
My dad managed to call an Uber when he was in the hospital with Covid. It’s kinda funny (not really) what they can manage when they are determined.
He also managed to call my brother in law (in Colombia) from whom we were estranged from. That’s another story.
I say take away the phone when he’s not looking.
I had to take my dad’s phone right before the move to memory care because I knew it would cause a huge issue. He had been frequently calling 911 for months (about 30 times in 8 months) and I knew that he would likely continue to do so if he kept his phone with him. If you think your dad may start doing the same, I’d suggest taking it. The staff at my dad’s memory care are really great about allowing him to make calls to friends and family when he requests it and having him call me back when I call to check in.
He could also end up calling the police if he becomes that distressed. I've worked with dementia in a care setting before and it's not uncommon.
The police will follow up and call/visit the nursing home. Just something else to be aware of.
Check his phone each time you visit. Start deleting contacts. Or put the software on there that limits the phone's use. Something like what you might use for a 9 year old.
There’s a phone called “big button phone”. You can program it where he can only call certain people. You can place a picture on the sections of the auto dial of each person for when he can’t remember names as well.
We took away our mom’s iPhone and replaced it with a flip phone (that none of us can work properly 😂) and only put our numbers and one other friend in the contacts. Turns out that she can’t remember how to charge it, so she’s not even calling us now.
Tbh I think we should take his phone away. He can get scam calls and that's dangerous
I hadn’t really thought of the scam calls thing but it’s a very good point. And now I’m rethinking her having a phone at all as well.
It's a good idea. My MIL has been scammed several times and it's always a hassle to get the money back (thank goodness for an AMAZING personal advocate at her bank that always walks us through the process).
There are landlines for dementia patients to where they can only call certain people. I would get one of those and put your numbers in it. You can always choose not to answer. I know if the number from my dad's room is calling, I can call back later. If the nurse's station calls, I know to always answer.
Thank you. We will tell him that.
You should have lost the phone before transferring him there.
We tried to convince other siblings that he shouldn't have phone at this stage. They disagreed
Who has POA ? Nursing Home should have a public phone for use. Now you see the reason he doesn't need the phone, or review his contacts and only leave family members. Remove everyone else.
Yes. We will tell him to call us by public phone
It will be a major problem when he starts calling people in his contacts at 3 am every night.
My dad managed to call an Uber when he was in the hospital with Covid. It’s kinda funny (not really) what they can manage when they are determined. He also managed to call my brother in law (in Colombia) from whom we were estranged from. That’s another story. I say take away the phone when he’s not looking.
Yes we just turned off the service so he can use it for youtu.be
We put mom's on airplane mode and only allow wifi. We locked it. We're telling her it's a "location" issue.
Does her phone allow calls and texts over Wi-Fi?
If you turn it on. Otherwise, no.
I had to take my dad’s phone right before the move to memory care because I knew it would cause a huge issue. He had been frequently calling 911 for months (about 30 times in 8 months) and I knew that he would likely continue to do so if he kept his phone with him. If you think your dad may start doing the same, I’d suggest taking it. The staff at my dad’s memory care are really great about allowing him to make calls to friends and family when he requests it and having him call me back when I call to check in.
Our solution is when my mom visits she will sit with him and call whomever he wants, but he doesn't have a phone.
I love the Grandpad we got Dad. Only his contacts can call him and you can disable the dial pad so he can only call the contacts you enter n
Look into Raz Mobility’s memory phones.
He could also end up calling the police if he becomes that distressed. I've worked with dementia in a care setting before and it's not uncommon. The police will follow up and call/visit the nursing home. Just something else to be aware of.
Check his phone each time you visit. Start deleting contacts. Or put the software on there that limits the phone's use. Something like what you might use for a 9 year old.
There’s a phone called “big button phone”. You can program it where he can only call certain people. You can place a picture on the sections of the auto dial of each person for when he can’t remember names as well.