PHONE OFF THE HOOK

Karen F

New member
May 27, 2018
4
0
Hi, I've seen this on old threads but has anyone got any current advice, my Mom keeps leaving the phone off the hook, it has to be a cordless phone as I have to get her to walk around the house checking doors are locked and helping her in the kitchen, by means of Ring cameras. But at the end of the call, after standing in front of the 'little hole' it is hit and miss if the phone actually goes back in the cradle. I've tried googling for ideas, I was looking for either a phone with just an off /on button so I could say press the Red button, she doesn't know how to ring anyone now so doesn't need dialling buttons, or a phone system where we can end the call, not too worried about it recharging as it wouldn't go flat by the next day and we have another cordless phone in the house. It's just when it's left connected nobody can ring her again, we have tried to explain through the Ring cameras how to put it back, but I'm sure others understand how much of a nightmare this is!
 

My Mum's Daughter

Registered User
Feb 8, 2020
438
0
I went back to an old fashioned corded phone, which Mum seems to cope with. If I'm helping her remotely, I have to do step by step instructions such as with tablets it's, get a drink and come back to the phone, now get your tablets and back to the phone.
Not sure this would work for you
 

Miss Elli

Registered User
Apr 9, 2020
81
0
We had to go back to a corded phone as Mum was hiding the hand set which is just as inconvenient as not putting the phone back on the receiver - it can be such a worry as communication is everything. Have you looked at Amazon Echo (other brands are probably available), we haven't got one but so many people have recommended them, how I understand it is you can dial in yourself and pop up on the screen and your Mum won't need to do anything, I think you could buy smaller versions and maybe have a few in the house ... not sure if this would help. Also we have Blink cameras in Mum's house and we could talk to Mum through them, again you wouldn't need to use the phone and they are very reasonably priced....we haven't used the talk function with Mum as she doesn't even know we have cameras in the house!!!
 

Karen F

New member
May 27, 2018
4
0
I went back to an old fashioned corded phone, which Mum seems to cope with. If I'm helping her remotely, I have to do step by step instructions such as with tablets it's, get a drink and come back to the phone, now get your tablets and back to the phone.
Not sure this would work for you
Thank you for your reply, sadly Mom is beyond that, she wouldn't remember to come back to the phone, I have even been left in the bathroom before now!
 

Karen F

New member
May 27, 2018
4
0
We had to go back to a corded phone as Mum was hiding the hand set which is just as inconvenient as not putting the phone back on the receiver - it can be such a worry as communication is everything. Have you looked at Amazon Echo (other brands are probably available), we haven't got one but so many people have recommended them, how I understand it is you can dial in yourself and pop up on the screen and your Mum won't need to do anything, I think you could buy smaller versions and maybe have a few in the house ... not sure if this would help. Also we have Blink cameras in Mum's house and we could talk to Mum through them, again you wouldn't need to use the phone and they are very reasonably priced....we haven't used the talk function with Mum as she doesn't even know we have cameras in the house!!!
Hi, yes we have Ring cameras and often have to talk through them when the phone isn't put back, but it is a nightmare, and sometimes tries to walk off with the cameras instead. Not sure if the Echo would work but I'll have a think on it, thanks for the reply
 

Miss Elli

Registered User
Apr 9, 2020
81
0
Hi, yes we have Ring cameras and often have to talk through them when the phone isn't put back, but it is a nightmare, and sometimes tries to walk off with the cameras instead. Not sure if the Echo would work but I'll have a think on it, thanks for the reply
Try placing the cameras up high so your Mum couldn't possibly reach them, our Blink cameras are well out of reach but angled so we can see what we need to see - you could place so you can see each door that needs locking and one that covers all of the kitchen - it may work better than the phone and maybe worth trying.
 

Weasell

Registered User
Oct 21, 2019
1,778
0
@Miss Elli is correct in my opinion.
An echo show with the biggest screen you can afford.
I love YI cameras (Amazon ).
That way when mum doesn’t answer the phone you can think ‘ ok, you were well enough to make yourself a cup of tea ten minutes ago.
Also a web site called ‘ask Adam ‘
sorry I don’t have a link but if you include the word dementia with your search you should find it. Is very good !
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,081
0
Bury
But at the end of the call, after standing in front of the 'little hole' it is hit and miss if the phone actually goes back in the cradle.
Is it possible to devise some kind of funnel like guide which allows aim to be less precise?
 

Adoralan

Registered User
Mar 2, 2021
58
0
Don't know if this is any help whatsoever, but during a recent hospital stay I got a Doro mobile for my mum, simple and designed for elderly/hard of hearing. Even confused as she was she managed to answer it and return missed calls, because it was like the phone she was familiar with from home. She can't use a smartphone as she holds them to her ear and accidentally switches them off. It holds charge for several days, so depends on how often you could get to charge it. Of course, that might get left somewhere as well!
 

Banjomansmate

Registered User
Jan 13, 2019
5,395
0
Dorset
This thread brings back so many fraught memories - you have my utmost sympathy, I never solved the problem. The best I ever managed was to get one of his friends who lived nearby to go a couple of times and make sure he put the phone back in the cradle!
 

Optia

New member
Dec 10, 2021
2
0
I think I have just found a simple solution to this problem.

My father in law has exactly the same problem leaving the phone line in the engaged condition.

He has Panasonic cordless phones.

I have fitted a smart plug to the basestation unit.
When we are unable to contact him and are getting the engaged signal we can use our smart phones to switch his basestation off and on again remotely from our home.

When the basestation resets all the handsets reset too and the phone line becomes available again.

I have also tried it on a BT cordless 3 phone system and this worked too.

It should be easy to set the smart plug to switch off and on again automatically several times a day as required.
 

Cat27

Registered User
Feb 27, 2015
13,057
0
Merseyside
I think I have just found a simple solution to this problem.

My father in law has exactly the same problem leaving the phone line in the engaged condition.

He has Panasonic cordless phones.

I have fitted a smart plug to the basestation unit.
When we are unable to contact him and are getting the engaged signal we can use our smart phones to switch his basestation off and on again remotely from our home.

When the basestation resets all the handsets reset too and the phone line becomes available again.

I have also tried it on a BT cordless 3 phone system and this worked too.

It should be easy to set the smart plug to switch off and on again automatically several times a day as required.
Welcome to TP @IanFoster
I’m glad you found something that worked for you.
 

Optia

New member
Dec 10, 2021
2
0
What happens if the handset is not on the basestation?
If the phone is not in the base station this method still works! It is the base station that connects to the phone line - when the base station has a power interruption it drops the line and when it reconnects the line has been released.
The location of any of the handsets, on the base or charging point or just sitting alone is irrelevant. On of these smart plugs only cost about £15. Give it a try :)
 

Pantherapaws

Registered User
May 12, 2022
12
0
Hello there,

My first time post. I have a longer post to explain my personal situation with my elderly father which I have no doubt resonates with so many others, but my current issue is this one: Dad not putting his cordless phone back on its base so the phone is ringing but obviously not his end. This has happened many times before and I've been fraught with worry and have ended up calling a neighbour and his landlord to go check on him. He then calls me with 'Oh.. well you know.. I had the volume down or I must have turned the phone off..' no concern at all for my worry! More recently he's become very forgetful however we always speak every single night, just for 5 mins.. either I call or he calls.

Last Wednesday, due to all the phone scams he was receiving, the last scam telling him to make a bank transfer!!!, I suggested, and he agreed, though he couldn't remember why, to have his landline number changed. The change took place today so I said to him last week.. "there might be some disruption whilst the number gets changed so if you don't hear from me by 9pm Dad, call me'. Last night, my aunt called me to say she'd been trying to call Dad several times, phone just kept ringing and ringing. I tried the same, then about half an hour later, Dad calls 'have you been trying to ring me? I must have turned the phone off.' So this morning, when I'm trying to ring him to tell him his number has now been changed, I get the unanswered ringing tone... all day long. So I'm thinking that again, he's not put the phone back on the base unit. However, I thought he might call me tonight if I hadn't run by 9pm but of course, nope. I've tried to call his nearby neighbour by they have CallProtect set up so my call is just going to answerphone.. So frustrating!!! I'm hoping that Dad is absolutely fine and just can't hear the phone, and that he's having a poor memory day and not thought to call me, but at the back of my mind, I'm obviously really worried something's happened. Oh, and we're 5 hours drive away. I'll have to try again tomorrow and if I can't get hold of neighbours again, I'll have to ask his landlord to go down and see if he's ok. As you can imagine, the frustration, and worry, is immense.

Dad will not have internet installed, hates technology and not sure now whether he can cope with any technological devices. He has a mobile but it's never charged or switched on. He's extremely stubborn. I'll give Age UK a call tomorrow about other devices but if anyone has any suggestions, please kindly advise.
 

Moggymad

Registered User
May 12, 2017
1,314
0
Hi & welcome to the forum @Pantherapaws.
We had a similar problem with my mum & ended up going back to the normal type phone so she couldn’t leave the handset elsewhere in the flat. Unfortunately if she didn’t replace the handset properly, which did happen a lot, then it was continually engaged. Another thing that happened was that mum started to ignore the ringing even when sitting right next to the phone. It was as if she couldn’t work out where it was coming from or recognise it as the phone ringing or how to respond.
Mum had a lifeline pendant & i did in the past resort to contacting the callcentre to ask if they could speak to mum to make sure she was alright which they were happy to do as mum would not have remembered to press her pendant button if she had fallen. I can imagine her surprise at hearing a disembodied voice suddenly speaking to her! I’m not suggesting its ok to use the service in this way (!) but when you’re worried & not living nearby to pop in it was such a relief to know all was ok.
 

Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
12,649
0
UK
hello @Pantherapaws
a warm welcome to DTP

I had a carephone system installed for my dad ... as Moggymad says it links to a call centre and the operators were wonderful with him
We got the system through the Local Authority Adult Services after the care needs assessment for dad
this is an example
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,081
0
Bury
Dad not putting his cordless phone back on its base so the phone is ringing but obviously not his end.
Truecall contains an off hook alert

Best check with your device manufacturer that it will work especially when the condition occurs when calling party clears down.

It won't work with VoIP as the off hook signal is provided by the exchange which is redundant.
 

Jaded'n'faded

Registered User
Jan 23, 2019
5,259
0
High Peak
Great suggestions above...

Another thought is to go retro! You can buy old style telephones with either a dial or push buttons and the old curly wire attaching the receiver to the big bit. Perhaps the curly wire would stir enough old memories that he'd put the receiver back properly?