Alzheimers - advice wanted re: gadgets to help etc

[Minitoots]

My 92 year old Mother-in-law has dementia and although she is still fairly independent, one of the main problems is that she constantly phones friends, the doctors etc then forgets she has phoned so phones again 5 minutes later.

It is becoming quite a problem and we're starting to get complaints about it. She lives alone in sheltered housing and has loads of support from friends family and care workers but often forgets people have visited, and feels a need to phone people for a chat the moment she is alone again.

I've tried speaking to the Alzheimers soc and Dementia Uk as well as BT in case there are any gadgets to stop someone re-dialling the same number more than once a day or anything like that but naturally BT wants people to use their service as much as possible so must love people in this situation! Notes on the phone don't help, and we have tried everything we can think of.

If anyone has any suggestions about this or other aids for someone with dementia, I'd be very interested!

[minder]

I think the only thing would be to phone round all the people you know your mother-in-law would phone and warn them that she might be ringing them for the same reason she had rang before! This might lessen the complaints if they knew the situation.

Notes won't help as the memory of reading the note goes within a couple of seconds.

My Dad has Alzheimers. He would be very confused about using a telephone now to dial out but I know it is a thing about being left alone. My Dad can't be left on his own.

[Pugwash]

Not sure if there are any gadgets via Telecare that would help Alzheimers Society may be able to advise. There are various talking devises and alarms. pre recorded messages on timers.

[JulieP]

As suggested by pugwash, telecare may be able to help. Is she under the care of a memory clinic? If so, it might be worth talking to the memory nurse to see what they suggest.

[Pugwash]

Emma - Memory Clinic Specialist Nurse based at the Betty Alexander Unit - Kings is very experienced and very easy to talk with. Age Concern Day Centre at Stones End Southwark are specialists in Dementia

[Minitoots]

thanks, everyone. She is based in Sevenoaks and yes, is under the care of the memory clinic there but we are not over-impressed with them. She has a lot of support from carers, social services and friends and is in sheltered housing who are all aware of the situation but the main thing at the moment is the incessant phoning, forgetting she has phoned and re-dialling. Friends are very patient and sympathetic but the doctors and some of the care workers have begun to complain and we are trying to work out the best way to manage this situation. She is not too bad at all apart from that and is not ready to go into a nursing home.....

[womanofdulwich]

i wonder if you can make a phone work so that she can only call a few people ( family) and then for all other numbers she has to out a code in?then the sheltered carers could come and activate the code for her?

in supermarkets there is a phone where you can only call the taxi- so must be possible?

I do sympathise.

[Tigres Pride]

Having gone through this with both my in-laws and a very dear neighbour friend I found the only thing I could do was to ring all the people they were likely to ring over & over again and beg them to show infinite patience for the Altzheimer sufferer no matter how frustrating it was. I found most people were willing to comply after a personal request was made of them.