Phone being left off hook

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
My sister has earl-onset Alzheimer's and is in sheltered accommodation. I rang her yesterday on her landline. She picked up the receiver but then put it down off the hook and didn't return to it. I had to phone the emergency number to ask a carer to go up and put it back.
Does anyone have a solution to this problem? Also, would I be charged for the call?!

Thank you

Jill
 

Sianey

Registered User
Mar 23, 2015
103
0
Yorkshire
Phone

Hi,

I had exactly the same problem. Mam did it to the upstairs phone and so the downstairs phone wouldn't ring and so I had to ring a friend to go round and the phone was off the receiver, If you've put your phone back at your end you won't be charged.

I witnessed what happens a friend rang Mam while I was there and she just put it down on the table next to the phone and I thought AH! That's what you do then:)

How about a big note near the phone selotaped reminding her put the receiver back in big letters it may work.

Sianey x
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,075
0
Bury
Would she be more likely to replace the receiver on an old type phone e.g.
https://www.pmctelecom.co.uk/retro-vintage-GPO-phone-ivory
you can get both rotary dialing and push button?

Another thing to try is to get a cheap mobile phone that allows you to program the ringing tone, put in a PAYG SIM (make a chargeable call from it now and again to prevent account clousure), leave it on charge and inaccessible and program the ringing tone to say 'please put your phone back on its rest ( or whatever you think she would understand) as I am trying to ring you'.
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
0
London
Don't most push button phones go back to being "on the hook" when the person on the other end disconnects the call? OH used to not properly end calls because he pressed the wrong button but after a while the line was free again.
 

Margarita

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
10,824
0
london
My mother use to do that to me also in those early onset days .
Mum was still at home with my dad .

Mum use to have one of those phone in the link that nitram/I] left .

It happens to be also when I am stressed out.
With a mobile land line phone . I have a BT line, land line phone will make a very high pitch noise.
So I go looking for the noise, realise that i have not press the end button .
 

Pear trees

Registered User
Jan 25, 2015
441
0
My mum does puts the phone receiver down by the side of the phone frequently. We have tried a mobile with a message but she ignores that. We can't ask neighbours as they will not have anything to do with her. I have to ask my SIL do go in an replace it.
It's an old fashioned dial phone with proper receiver as mum has not understood anything 'modern' for over thirty years.
Other people on here have suggested old fashioned types of phone which may help.
 

Bod

Registered User
Aug 30, 2013
1,958
0
Bolt cutters

Many times I had to go to fathers, because his phone was off the hook. The Operator couldn't hear anything, me being nearest with a car had to go!
Bolt cutters were kept in the car, along with his spare door keys, he had and used a door chain!
"Oh what are you doing here?" when he came to the door, me worrying as to what I was going to find...

Bod
 
Last edited:

looviloo

Registered User
May 3, 2015
463
0
Cheshire
You have my sympathy. My dad is slowly losing the ability to use his phone and it leads to a lot of frustration. His latest one was thinking that he had to hold the hand set out in front of him... no wonder we couldn't hear each other! The whole conversation would be along the lines of 'Can you hear me?!'.
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
I found a wall mounted corded phone worked better - it was more obvious to Mummy when it wasn't "in the right place".
 

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
Hi,

I had exactly the same problem. Mam did it to the upstairs phone and so the downstairs phone wouldn't ring and so I had to ring a friend to go round and the phone was off the receiver, If you've put your phone back at your end you won't be charged.

I witnessed what happens a friend rang Mam while I was there and she just put it down on the table next to the phone and I thought AH! That's what you do then:)

How about a big note near the phone selotaped reminding her put the receiver back in big letters it may work.

Sianey x

Thanks very much, Sianey.

Jill
 

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
Another thing to try is to get a cheap mobile phone that allows you to program the ringing tone, put in a PAYG SIM (make a chargeable call from it now and again to prevent account clousure), leave it on charge and inaccessible and program the ringing tone to say 'please put your phone back on its rest ( or whatever you think she would understand) as I am trying to ring you'.[/QUOTE]

That's a good idea. Thank you

Jill
 

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
Don't most push button phones go back to being "on the hook" when the person on the other end disconnects the call? OH used to not properly end calls because he pressed the wrong button but after a while the line was free again.

Thank you

Jill
 

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
My mother use to do that to me also in those early onset days .
Mum was still at home with my dad .

Mum use to have one of those phone in the link that nitram/I] left .

It happens to be also when I am stressed out.
With a mobile land line phone . I have a BT line, land line phone will make a very high pitch noise.
So I go looking for the noise, realise that i have not press the end button .


Thanks v much for your help.

Jill
 

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
My mum does puts the phone receiver down by the side of the phone frequently. We have tried a mobile with a message but she ignores that. We can't ask neighbours as they will not have anything to do with her. I have to ask my SIL do go in an replace it.
It's an old fashioned dial phone with proper receiver as mum has not understood anything 'modern' for over thirty years.
Other people on here have suggested old fashioned types of phone which may help.


Thank you

Jill
 

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
Many times I had to go to fathers, because his phone was off the hook. The Operator couldn't hear anything, me being nearest with a car had to go!
Bolt cutters were kept in the car, along with his spare door keys, he had and used a door chain!
"Oh what are you doing here?" when he came to the door, me worrying as to what I was going to find...

Bod

It's all so hard! Thank you

Jill

J
 

Little Sister

Registered User
Aug 19, 2015
10
0
You have my sympathy. My dad is slowly losing the ability to use his phone and it leads to a lot of frustration. His latest one was thinking that he had to hold the hand set out in front of him... no wonder we couldn't hear each other! The whole conversation would be along the lines of 'Can you hear me?!'.

We need so much patience! Thank you,

Jill
 

Sue J

Registered User
Dec 9, 2009
8,032
0
My sister has earl-onset Alzheimer's and is in sheltered accommodation. I rang her yesterday on her landline. She picked up the receiver but then put it down off the hook and didn't return to it. I had to phone the emergency number to ask a carer to go up and put it back.
Does anyone have a solution to this problem? Also, would I be charged for the call?!

Thank you

Jill

Does the sheltered accommodation not have an intercom system where they can speak to your Mum? But maybe she wouldn't respond to that either?

Hope you find a solution that works
Best wishes
Sue