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When I walked inside the phone was ringing and it was the police. This is not the first time my Mom called 911. Any idea's on what I can do? Thanks.

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Jenna, you need to find a caregiving agency to help with the care of your mom and give you much needed time off. The day will come that mom will forget how to use the phone. The last time I left mom for ten minutes to walk with her hubby outside, half way down the block, we returned and mom was in tears, in a panic, with the phone in her hand, wanting to call a daughter, a friend, 911, just someone to help her. And she had forgotten how to use the phone I never left her again alone. I even stopped leaving her with her hubby. She would panic over something and he was not able to help her. Find an agency to give mom care and you help and time away even if just for a few hours.
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Thanks for your replies. Yes, I did tell the police officer that my Mom has dementia and she understood and actually told me about her Mom who had a rare form of dementia and only lived 7 months.

Sometimes I do have to leave the house for about 10 minutes and I printed my Cell Phone number on paper in BIG numbers for my Mom to call. I don't have anyone who can watch my Mom. The rehab gave me a pamphlet about people that do come to the house so I can go out for a longer amount of time and not worry about her. I tried calling them Friday but got voicemail so I will call tomorrow. It will cost money and that's okay.

I wanted to attend a service for a good friend of mine who's Dad passed away today but I'm afraid to go and leave my Mom alone. She is steady on her feet and is very handy with the walker.

My Mom doesn't complain at all about her headaches anymore. Maybe they were stress headaches? I have no idea. Now my Mom uses a walker since she fell down and dislocated her hip. She was in rehab for 2 weeks and a nurse comes twice a week and next week a PT will also come to the house.

I'm watching the dementia getting worse which makes me sad.
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Jenna, I too am a homebody. I cared for mom for four years, three years in court ordered a caregiver for six hours on Saturdays so I had a chance to recharge. The longer you wait, the harder it will be for mom.
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I agree with FF. There is usually a community policing office at the local precinct. You might want to call or pay them a visit to tell them that your mom has dementia, is never left alone ( if that's true) and that she forgets that you're there.

Having them ring back in a few moments is a good idea.

Not giving mom access to the phone when you are not in the room is another thing you might think about.
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Yes glad, you are absolutely right. I do have a pamphlet where either a caregiver or a companion can stay with my Mom so I can have some time off. Basically I am a homebody (always was) but I need to go food shopping, etc. I was planning on taking my Mom with me now that I got her a transport chair so she doesn't have to use her walker.

I think my Mom does get scared even if I'm right outside the door watering plants, etc. I'm all my Mom has left.

Thanks for the input....
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A friend of mine had mother-in-law who called 911 constantly; they got to know her voice and recognized her number, so they would just tell her something soothing and call back. They finally told her she could not call any more. Her family did find a care facility for her, and I don't think she had a phone available there.
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The operators that man those Alert buttons are very patient. They realize that people will call them when they aren't needed. Mom's was a motion sensor one so it she fell and became unconscious help would be sent. She was always hitting it on something. The operator would come on and ask if everything was alright and Mom would explain what happened.

Is there a way to hide your phones? I have cordless and used to put the base and phone in a cupboard to keep away from my grandson. It was still plugged into an outlet just grandson couldn't get to it. If you have wall phones that have to be plugged in to get Caller ID and voicemail, unplug them and see if that shuts them down. Some only work with electricity. A bad feature, yes, had this problem at work when the electric went out, no phones.
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Had the same problem my ward had a help button they always pushed, had to unhook it from the phone line so instead of calling 911 it called the caregiver on duty. A land line you can be unplugged and repluged quickly when needed, and cell phone you might have to hide. Unless she is by herself at anytime. You can register the number with 911 and a note will pop up with a phone number of a caregiver for verification. Make sure you have a key to the door my charge started locking me out. havent found away to stop it
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Thanks so much for all your replies. Yes, I can unplug the cordless phones (my Mom only knows where 1 phone is) and she doesn't know where I keep my cell.

I'm really afraid to leave her alone as I am scared of her falling down (she uses a walker).

Yesterday I took her to her doctor and between the walker and the transport chair it worked out great and Mom really enjoyed the drive (about 8 miles each way). I think getting out is good for both of us. If I did bring her into a grocery store I use a fabric bag that holds food that I can strap over one shoulder. Of course I couldn't do a large food shopping. They also have carts with a wheelchair attached so I can probably use that. There is so many elderly people who live in my town.

I did call the caregiver service and they charge $20.00 an hour. I also have a friend who let me know if I ever need help to call her. I may discuss this with my friend who I would pay to stay with my Mom.

This is something I am still thinking about as I don't want to rush into any decisions just yet but get more information from this agency and my friend. Before we moved I had a neighbor/friend that my Mom was really comfortable with. Problem is neighbor doesn't drive but her husband (or sister) does. I may call her and see if we can arrange something where either her husband or sister could drop her off as she could really use the money.

Again, I need time to think about this. One thing is for sure, I do need some time for myself.
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Thanks again for all of your input. No, I can not leave my Mom alone at all. I think deep down I didn't want to accept that my Mom's dementia has gotten worse but the fact is it has gotten worse and I know it will keep progressing.

I did find the website in my state for Area Counsel on Aging and I do believe they offer volunteer services for respite. I will call them and find out for sure.

As far as my Mom being eligible for Medicaid I need to find out.

Will let you know as soon as I know. Thanks again everyone!
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