How to Stop Elderly from Calling 911

911 aliases its balanced should only beryllium utilized successful existent emergencies. However, conditions successful nan elderly, specified arsenic dementia aliases Alzheimer’s, tin origin them to presume they’re successful threat aliases hide nan value of 911. What are immoderate strategies for stopping nan aged from calling this number?

You tin extremity nan aged from calling 911 by taking distant their telephone and utilizing a elder telephone service. You tin besides show nan section constabulary and occurrence section to notify you if you spot your genitor aliases grandparent dial nan emergency number.

It’s frustrating and embarrassing erstwhile nan aged personification successful your life calls 911 frequently. You don’t want to tie nan ire of your constabulary aliases occurrence section and interest if you’ll beryllium taken earnestly if an emergency does happen. This guideline will get to nan bottommost of your rumor and explicate really to lick it.

Why Do nan Elderly Call 911?

Before we delve into nan strategies for preventing seniors from calling 911, let’s research nan reasons nan aged are inclined to do this successful nan first place.

Confusion

Age and nan myriad wellness conditions and diseases that often travel pinch it tin confuse nan elderly. The cognitive diminution continues arsenic a elder gets older. Diseases specified arsenic dementia and Alzheimer’s accelerate that decline.

A elder does not needfully cognize what they’re doing successful a confused state. They whitethorn judge they are successful threat aliases unsure why they picked up nan phone. Sometimes, nan elder mightiness not moreover retrieve dialing 911, and will beryllium conscionable arsenic amazed arsenic you erstwhile nan constabulary aliases occurrence section shows up astatine your door.

Paranoia/Delusions

Paranoia is simply a broadside effect of dementia that tin hap successful seniors without cognitive disorders. A paranoid elder could judge personification is aft them and often interaction nan constabulary aliases occurrence departments to thief them.

Delusions tin besides person them these mendacious facts are existent and motivate them to continually activity thief moreover though they aren’t successful trouble.

Hallucinations/Poor Vision

Vision declines are modular successful nan elderly. Between their worsening imagination and nan imaginable hallucinations seniors tin acquisition (especially those pinch Alzheimer’s aliases dementia), they tin spot threats that aren’t there.

Whether nan elder perceives a occurrence aliases personification trying to break into their home, they’ll quickly dial 911.

True Emergencies

Finally, nan aged tin telephone 911 for nan aforesaid logic arsenic anyone, to study an ongoing emergency.

Tactics for Preventing nan Elderly from Calling 911

Unless your elder genitor aliases grandparent calls 911 successful nan second situation, immoderate lawsuit of dialing emergency assistance without needing it is simply a problem. They’re wasting a first responder’s valuable clip and requiring constabulary and occurrence departments to travel to nan spot for nary reason.

After all, nary matter really overmuch you show them it’s not an emergency, they must still measure nan business themselves.

In nan meantime, those who genuinely request nan thief aren’t getting it, truthful really tin you extremity nan aged from calling 911 unless they request it? Here are a fewer strategies.

Revoking Phone Access

This is nan astir utmost measure, arsenic taking distant a senior’s telephone prevents them from calling friends, family, their doctor, and anyone other they request to contact. 

Further, if they person a existent emergency, they’ll beryllium without options for reaching nan constabulary aliases occurrence department.

This method mightiness person a 100 percent effectiveness rate, but that’s only because nan elder cannot telephone anyone. You should only usage this measurement if you unrecorded pinch nan elder full-time aliases if they person different live-in caretaker to show them.

You tin guarantee they aren’t stuck successful an emergency without recourse. 

Using a Senior Phone Service

You tin besides look into a elder telephone service, specified arsenic teleCalm, designed to trim instances of problematic telephone calls. After all, an aged personification who calls 911 unnecessarily astir apt besides has different telephone numbers connected velocity dial.

They tin pester you and different family each day, preventing you from completing activity aliases taking attraction of different responsibilities.

teleCalm routes a senior’s 911 calls to nan nearest emergency consequence center, but different elder telephone services could activity differently.

Rerouting Calls to You

You tin besides interaction your section constabulary and occurrence departments and fto them cognize astir nan problem pinch your elder genitor aliases grandparent dialing 911 each chance they get. Tell them to interaction you if nan calls travel through.

However, this won’t extremity nan aged from misdialing for emergency services.

Do You Get Charged for Making Too Many 911 Calls?

You interest that if nan aged personification successful your life calls 911 excessively often they’ll get successful superior problem for doing so, specified arsenic receiving a fine. Can that happen?

It’s a misdemeanor complaint if you knowingly make a mendacious constabulary report, which could consequence successful a good of $1,000 aliases a twelvemonth successful region jail. However, that reward is much for prank calls than an aged personification confusedly dialing 911 believing they’re successful danger.

You will not person a reward for that, but it’s worthy discouraging for nan reasons discussed above.

Bottom Line 

It’s frustrating erstwhile your elder genitor aliases grandparent calls 911 unnecessarily. You cognize they don’t mean to do it, and sometimes, they person a very bully logic to, astatine slightest successful their mind. However, they’ve yet to beryllium successful immoderate existent danger, and they’re wasting a first responder’s clip and preventing them from responding to different emergencies.

You person options for preventing nan aged from dialing 911. While taking distant telephone entree will work, deliberation doubly astir this solution if they unrecorded independently, arsenic they won’t beryllium capable to person thief successful an existent emergency.