Telephone Problems

This week my mother called me from the Senior Center to let me know that her home phone is no longer working. I've reset her phone twice since we purchased it in the spring. Basically, all she needs to do is unplug the phone from the wall and from the Time-Warner modem to "reboot" it.

She probably would do a lot better to go back to the local telephone company's landline instead of receiving her phone service through Time-Warner Cable. There is may be some kind of compatibility problem between the Cable company's modem and the new digital phone. One of her neighbors told her that she would save a lot of money if she went through the TV cable company for her phone service instead of the local telephone company, but she has had nothing but problems.

When she had her old analog telephone that she had been renting for fifteen years, she could not connect with Windstream customers. Only people with cell phones or calling from out of town could reach her.

I took her to Target, where she selected and purchased her current phone. Every time it stops working she blames me. She doesn't understand that she needs to return the phone to its cradle to recharge it.

For the past couple of days no one has been able to reach her by phone. All we get is a busy signal. Not sure if the phone needs to be reset or what. She won't let anyone in the house lately. Last time I was there her kitchen was full of vegetables and fruit in various stages of decay. I dared to mention that she needed to dispose of the rotten food and refrigerate the rest, but that only angered her. I've not been allowed into her house since then.

I'm going to try to get her to switch back to her old phone company instead of Cable. She may need to purchase another phone, but I am going to have the telephone company work with her instead of handling it myself. They may have some devices that will help her that I do not know about.

Karen who?

My mother called me yesterday to let me know that she received a piece of mail for me in her mailbox. It was really for her next door neighbor, she had forgotten my last name.

Another Fall

One of my neighbors stopped by this morning to let me know that my mother has fallen again at the senior center yesterday. This time no one or nothing was around her to make her fall, she just lost her balance and slipped. 

She asked the staff not to contact me and they complied, but my neighbor thought I should be made aware in case of future complications. She also mentioned it because I may notice some facial bruising.

Coumadin clinic

Got a call from the Coumadin clinic that my mother had missed her weekly appointment. They have had some problem stabalizing her dosage after her surgery. Most of the problem comes from the fact that she fails to take her medication as regularly as she should, even though I have the pills measured out in a weekly dosage dispenser. 

Nancy and Phil, her home care assistants, usually drive her to the local clinic, but will only do what she asks them to do. If she doesn't immediately return home to add her appointment to her wall calendar, then she never will and that appointment will be forgotten. Last week I was out of town, so no one reminded her to follow through.

Post-op Doctor Visit

On Monday, July 28th, I took my mom to her follow up visit after surgery on July 3rd. She couldn't remember her doctor's name, where his office was located, or why she even had the appointment.