simplest phone for Alzheimers sufferer

[Ext User(Greg Alexander)]

Hello,
My grandmother is being moved and her new room does not have a phone
(for now?).

I need a mobile phone that works like a regular telstra cheapie phone.
-Big buttons are good.
-A couple of speed dials are good (but unnecessary).
-Wired into the wall would be preferable (so no charging issues).
-Preferably no answer/hangup buttons (just lift the handset?).. if not
then really obvious green/red would be good.

If anyone has any advice I'd greatly appreciate it. I figure we'll have
to teach her... and that may not work.

[Ext User(Peter)]

"Greg Alexander" <gregory72@gmail.com> wrote in
news:1169008125.573848.80780@51g2000cwl.googlegrou ps.com:

> Hello,
> My grandmother is being moved and her new room does not have a phone
> (for now?).
>
> I need a mobile phone that works like a regular telstra cheapie phone.
> -Big buttons are good.
> -A couple of speed dials are good (but unnecessary).
> -Wired into the wall would be preferable (so no charging issues).
> -Preferably no answer/hangup buttons (just lift the handset?).. if not
> then really obvious green/red would be good.
>
> If anyone has any advice I'd greatly appreciate it. I figure we'll have
> to teach her... and that may not work.
>



Kmart are selling these for between $200 & $300
http://www.techoni.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=1207

:-P

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[Ext User(Greg Alexander)]

Rod Speed wrote:
> I dont like your chances, how bad is the altzhiemers ?

She's pretty good most of the time. A year ago she forgot that she gave
up smoking 15 years ago, and now she's a regular again.

Now she forgets she can't smoke inside her room, so the home wants her
to move out, into managed care. So she's trialing a place that will
remind her not to smoke, take better care of her, but still give her
some independence.

Peter wrote:
> Kmart are selling these for between $200 & $300
> http://www.techoni.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=1207

Wow. This has potential... unfortunately they're on a 24 month
contract.
I'll send this through to my parents though, it's the closest
possibility I've seen.

Thanks

[Ext User(Rod Speed)]

Greg Alexander <gregory72@gmail.com> wrote
> Rod Speed wrote

>> I dont like your chances, how bad is the altzhiemers ?

> She's pretty good most of the time. A year ago she forgot that she
> gave up smoking 15 years ago, and now she's a regular again.

Weird.

> Now she forgets she can't smoke inside her room, so the
> home wants her to move out, into managed care. So she's
> trialing a place that will remind her not to smoke, take better
> care of her, but still give her some independence.

Dont like your chances of using anything other
than a very simple fixed line phone then.

Likely you'd have buckleys of getting anything battery powered recharged.

A fixed line phone can be quite viable with even an
automatic dial of a particular number when the handset
is picked up. Tho that might well result in endless
interruptions if she ever does want to call anyone else.

The problem can get so bad that they cant handle any
device where you press a button to turn it on and press
the same button again to turn it off. They dont seem to
be able to comprehend how those work etc.


> Peter wrote:
>> Kmart are selling these for between $200 & $300
>> http://www.techoni.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=1207
>
> Wow. This has potential... unfortunately they're on a 24 month
> contract.
> I'll send this through to my parents though, it's the closest
> possibility I've seen.

Dont like your chances of keeping it charged.

[Ext User(virgmob007@netscape.net)]

Rod Speed wrote:
> Greg Alexander <gregory72@gmail.com> wrote
> > Rod Speed wrote
>
> >> I dont like your chances, how bad is the altzhiemers ?
>
> > She's pretty good most of the time. A year ago she forgot that she
> > gave up smoking 15 years ago, and now she's a regular again.
>
> Weird.
>
> > Now she forgets she can't smoke inside her room, so the
> > home wants her to move out, into managed care. So she's
> > trialing a place that will remind her not to smoke, take better
> > care of her, but still give her some independence.
>
> Dont like your chances of using anything other
> than a very simple fixed line phone then.
>
> Likely you'd have buckleys of getting anything battery powered recharged.
>
> A fixed line phone can be quite viable with even an
> automatic dial of a particular number when the handset
> is picked up. Tho that might well result in endless
> interruptions if she ever does want to call anyone else.
>
> The problem can get so bad that they cant handle any
> device where you press a button to turn it on and press
> the same button again to turn it off. They dont seem to
> be able to comprehend how those work etc.

You seem to know very much about it, Speedo. Does dementia run in the
family!?

>
>
> > Peter wrote:
> >> Kmart are selling these for between $200 & $300
> >> http://www.techoni.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=1207
> >
> > Wow. This has potential... unfortunately they're on a 24 month
> > contract.
> > I'll send this through to my parents though, it's the closest
> > possibility I've seen.
>
> Dont like your chances of keeping it charged.

[Ext User(Peter)]

virgmob007@netscape.net wrote in
news:1169524429.986780.180740@11g2000cwr.googlegro ups.com:


>
> You seem to know very much about it, Speedo. Does dementia run in
> the family!?
>



Happens to the best of us.

:-P

--
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[Ext User(virgmob007@netscape.net)]

Peter wrote:
> virgmob007@netscape.net wrote in
> news:1169524429.986780.180740@11g2000cwr.googlegro ups.com:
>
>
> >
> > You seem to know very much about it, Speedo. Does dementia run in
> > the family!?
> >
>
>
>
> Happens to the best of us.

Of course, Alzheimers is an inevitable plague for many people living
longer these days, but their relatives are often too mean to put them
into institutional care, hoping that they will soon die. Those with
Alzheimers are virtually zombies, so, provided that institutional
carers are not actually mining them for body parts, the most humane
way to deal with Alzheimers relatives is simply to pay for their
nursing care to those willing to provide it.

>
> :-P
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Ext User(Derek)]

<virgmob007@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:1170131730.234578.22150@k78g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> the most humane
> way to deal with Alzheimers relatives is simply to pay for their
> nursing care to those willing to provide it.
>
Glad I'm not your dad.

[Ext User(Greg Alexander)]

On Jan 30, 4:14 pm, "Derek" <Derek@home> wrote:
> <virgmob...@netscape.net> wrote :
> > the most humane
> > way to deal with Alzheimers relatives is simply to pay for their
> > nursing care to those willing to provide it.
>
> Glad I'm not your dad.

What would you do differently?

My grandmother hasn't gone as far as many, and she needs to be in a
nursing home. She stays with my parents' (or her other son's) about
50% of the time and it's really exhausting for them. It's a full time
job. A basic example - turn around and she's moving some dishes (that
were lined up for the dishwasher) to the sink, and the number of
broken dishes is increasing.

If you haven't dealt with it, think about taking care of a 2 year old,
who's fully grown, doesn't have to listen to you, and who smokes and
drinks - and knowing that it's unfortunately getting worse over time,
not better.

> > > Greg wrote:
> > > > Now she forgets she can't smoke inside her room, so the
> > > > home wants her to move out, into managed care. So she's
> > > > trialing a place that will remind her not to smoke, take better
> > > > care of her, but still give her some independence.
> >
> > Rod wrote:
> > > Dont like your chances of using anything other
> > > than a very simple fixed line phone then.
> > >
> > > Likely you'd have buckleys of getting anything battery powered recharged.

Agreed. We'd have to permanently attach the power cord into the base
of the phone somehow, I think.

Anyway, once she's decided to move to this home we can get her a
normal landline, and we'll program in her 8 favourite numbers.

[Ext User(kyte)]

On 2007-02-04 09:50:27 +1100, "Greg Alexander" <gregory72@gmail.com> said:
> Anyway, once she's decided to move to this home we can get her a
> normal landline, and we'll program in her 8 favourite numbers.

This is probably your only option.

One of the main features of Alzheimers (or any dementia of which
Alzheimers is just one) is that the capacity to learn NEW things is
almost absent.

You will need to get her a phone identical to the one she already knows
and uses. You'll also need to accept that a time will come when she
won't remember what to do with that, either. Hopefully by then she
will be in 24 hour care.

[Ext User(kyte)]

On 2007-01-30 15:35:30 +1100, virgmob007@netscape.net said:

> Of course, Alzheimers is an inevitable plague for many people living
> longer these days,

Actually, thats just rubbish. Alzheimers disease is a YOUNG person's
dementia. and by young, I mean 40+. Its been coined as a term for all
dementias in recent years but it is most definitely NOT a disease of
old age. Dementia in later years is much more likely to be linked to
multiple infarcts in the brain (death of brain tissue via clots or
bleeds) or extensive alcohol use for years and years.

> Those with Alzheimers are virtually zombies,

Those with true alzheimers probably have no more than 5-10 years of
life left after diagnosis. And they aren't "zombies" as you put it,
until the late stages of the disease. When they get there, they are
still functioning, but they cannot remember anything. They are often
very frightened and vulnerable individuals, because nothing is as they
expect it should be. Have a little compassion.

[Ext User(quietguy)]

I would be VERY wary of providing her with any mobile phone other than
prepaid - if she makes a call and forgets to hang up or talks for ages she
could be up for BIG $$$$$

Once posibility might be the Telstra prepaid fixed line plan - have a look
at the info for this on the Telstra site as this would allow her to have a
fixed line walkabout phone in her room with the base station located
elsewhere in the house.

David



Greg Alexander wrote:

> Hello,
> My grandmother is being moved and her new room does not have a phone
> (for now?).
>
> I need a mobile phone that works like a regular telstra cheapie phone.
> -Big buttons are good.
> -A couple of speed dials are good (but unnecessary).
> -Wired into the wall would be preferable (so no charging issues).
> -Preferably no answer/hangup buttons (just lift the handset?).. if not
> then really obvious green/red would be good.
>
> If anyone has any advice I'd greatly appreciate it. I figure we'll have
> to teach her... and that may not work.