I switched the land line to forward to my cell today. I'm going to look into getting her a smart phone due to the call screening ability.

I have been through dealing with a parent with dementia/Alzheimer's twice. Very early on they may be able to read a checklist and follow it but during an emergency probably not. And I would be very worried if they tried to drive somewhere--as they may forget how to get where they were going and without a cellphone you can't contact them. Plus, they may forget the cellphone, or even just forget how to answer it when it is ringing.

If at all possible, I would call the person with dementia and tell them to stay put. Then evacuate my family and drive to the elderly person's house and evacuate them. Or, even better, if you have two drivers, then send one to help evacuate the elderly person, then the other driver can handle the rest of the family. Also, plan a place where you are going to evacuate to so various parties can meet up. This needs to be planned in advance since even cellphones will be unreliable.

I would also put an "In case of Emergency" list on the elderly person's refrigerator BEFORE they need it. Then even a helping party can do the prep for them.

I suggest also prepping for them by getting as much medical information about their medical needs as possible, including their medical issues, tests, treatments, and prescriptions PRIOR to any emergency events.

There is a lot more about this on the Listening to Katrina website that I have posted about before.

Listening To Katrina

I can speak about my experiences on this topic, feel free to PM me and i can give you my experiences and what i have learned.

Kind regards,
Kris

Ditched the landline completely. Working on getting her flip phone switched over to a smartphone. It will be an up-hill task but it's the only way to filter most of the spam/scam calls.

She does a variation of the birthday card thing herself. It's her calendar for her. Goes through it several times a day. It also helps her to remember things.

If it helps her to remember that's great.

Two points in mind

1 - Bathroom door lock
What if senior falls or has a problem, or even panics?
Do you have to break the door?
Get the door lock that you can open with a coin or spoon
(coin: meaning that you use the coin edge to turn the lock open)

2 - Camera
Just like monitoring kid's room, install a few cams around the house where she -God forbid- may get into trouble

I've got keys to all the doors that don't have a privacy type lock. All the interior doors are also hollow core.

She's not at the stage where cameras are needed yet.

Wow, oh wow. let's figure this out together. I have a very similar situation, both parents have had strokes, live in the woods, can't drive anymore, refuse to move anywhere and have increasingly challenging cognitive issues. I've tried EVERYTHING I CAN THINK OF and the only thing that seems to work is driving down here (6 hours each way) and doing everything for them, and even then, I don't think it's working at all.

Really could use some ideas.

That’s a very tough situation MartinFocazio.

There are three options that come to mind. You could, if you or they could afford it, get some kind of support for them at their home. My grandmother, before she passed, was able to get along for years with the help of a young man who could maintain the property and drive her places. Second is to have someone live with them, either at their place, yours or some other place. And third is to find them some kind of assisted living arrangement.

You may have to go to court and have them declared incompetent if they refuse all workable options..