Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
T
Topotraveler64 Asked July 2018

Telephone calls— How is best to handle repeated phone calls to other family members who get frustrated with the constant calling?

Mom will call my sister 4-5 times a day, when she struggles to dial, she asks me to. She was calling her husband (step dad) repeatedly. As she now resides with me, I told my sister to screen the calls, but mom forgets she’s already called her or when sister takes her checkbook home to balance Mom will call repeatedly to double check where her checkbook is, or if sister made her Coumadin check appt, or if it’s this weekend she’s coming over to stay a while, so I can go off, mostly reassurance, even after I calmly explain, yes, she’s coming tomorrow morning for breakfast, we already to spoke to her about it an hour ago..”just dial her, I want to make sure”
I've looked for a phone number that no one will answer, like a pay phone (good luck finding one of those now) using it to “call sis” and say, hmmm, she’s probably stepped out a while.

Babs75 Oct 2018
My dad's anxiety is going off the chart again lately. He's 92 with dementia. He started on Seroquel a few months back which seemed to help (He was supposed to take 1/2 tablets of the 25mg 3 times per day but could only tolerate 2 times per day). He was doing better but now it seems like things are slipping back to the old ways. Constant phone calls again. Maybe he needs a dosage change. He made me mad today as I was going to my new baby granddaughter's baby shower (she was born early so they had to reschedule. She's 2 months now!) I usually go to my dad's on Saturday about 12:30 - 1:00 every week but had told him it would be close to 2:00 before I could get there today. He called before I left the house but I missed the call. I called him right when I got to the baby shower to tell him I was still planning to be there between 1:30 - 2:00. He proceeded to call 3 more times during the baby shower (ringer OFF!) because he was afraid I wasn't coming. I got in his face a bit when I got to his house because he doesn't need to call me so much especially after I had talked to him 2 hours previous. But during the time I was at his house, he called a friend of his 3 times to see if he can come over and mow his lawn. Guess that's his friend's problem if he doesn't mind. It seems I can never get away from this, even though he doesn't live with us. There is no peace except at work and even at that, sometimes he calls too many times.

HolidayEnd Jul 2018
Sister can block your number on her phone when she needs to. Since your mom is with you, she’s safe, and your sister will get some peace.

ADVERTISEMENT


ChiGirl68 Jul 2018
I am so sorry to hear about this frustrating situation. I own a small business and run it myself, and when my mom started losing her eyesight she would call me literally every hour to ask me to come over and find her glasses, pick up something she dropped, read a piece of mail, find a channel on the television, read a food label, etc etc etc. It is heartbreaking and you want to be patient but there is only so much you can take. I got to the point where we had to bring someone in to just help her with these things.

Have you introduced your mom to texting? It's a lot easier for folks to respond to texts while working and such, and you could read the responses to Mom. Maybe your family members could even make an effort to send a photo or thought of the day type thing once in a while. It just occurs to me that it might be a need for connection in addition to the forgetfulness or anxiety about things. Maybe a little proaction on your family members' end might help soothe her?

My mom's blindness also made her very bored, also leading her to call us all day to chat.

A few years ago, my mom struck up an unlikely friendship with one of my brother's co workers. They are both spiritual and this kind young man began sending my mom cards and letters discussing spiritual things, family, etc. It really captured my mom's imagination and took a lot of her attention from calling family all day.

Now she carries her basket of cards from Martin around the house with her all the time, and they seem to give her a lot of peace.

Encouraging friends to send notes, photos, letters as often as they can might help too.

I wish I could be more help. I know it is frustrating for your family and for you.
Bravelute Jul 2018
I think you were VERy helpful. The basket of cards from Martin reminded me of my favorite book to read to my class when I thought I needed to help them feel empathy toward their elders, or to develop understanding of how they could help.

"Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge" by Mem Fox
In this book, Wilfred overhears someone say that one of his friends at the neighboring assisted living facility had lost her memory. He sets about learning what a memory IS, then he makes up a basket full of things to help his friend FIND her memory. The story and the pics are absoutely delightful. I'd recommend the book for anyone dealing with alzheimer's.

Families could help to develop the "memory" basket, and church groups like women's clubs or men's clubs could write weekly notes sharing their lives, thoughts, memories of a beautiful sunset, or a favorite line from a sermon.

The other thought I had is to take selfies when a loved one Does visit, print a key picture and tape into the "tomorrow's memories to come" calendar for the next expected visit.

Have you tried music from her youth to destress? Or painting, even if she's never painted before. Try putting on some music, a simple box of watercolors, a container of water, and a pad of watercolor paper. Sit back and see if her breathing calms and her face beams. There is no need to paint a picture of anything. Just the process of putting color to paper is therapeutic.

Being open to the DE-stressors is a key for our elders and also for us.
BarbBrooklyn Jul 2018
Is your mother's anxiety and agitation being treated?

Get a geriatric psychiatrist involved in her treatment.
Topotraveler64 Jul 2018
She just started a new med seems to lessen her excessive worry, but she is all about calling ppl excessively

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter