Dad phoning for an ambulance many times a day

[Charlton Annie]

My dad is 88 & has Alzheimer’s & vascular dementia. He has recently been displaying signs of anxiety including wandering at night & during the day & having mild panic attacks which then lead him to phone for an ambulance. The paramedics are all absolutely lovely and very understanding, the gp is aware and a mental health referral is going through. However, all these things take time and I wondered if anyone had tips on how to deal with it. It happened three times yesterday (they eventually took him in), twice the day before and so on. My mum is 84 and is of the generation that hates to ask for help (which can be a challenge in itself!) so she is always so embarrassed and struggles to deal with it. Any ideas on how to manage or shared stories gratefully received.

 

[karaokePete]

Depression and anxiety are very common in people with dementia. My own wife takes meds for depression and anxiety as well as her Alzheimer’s. Indeed, I read recently that the vascular damage can both be the actual cause of the issue or be caused by it. There is an AS Factsheet about the issue and it can be found by following this link https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites...ownloads/factsheet_depression_and_anxiety.pdf

 

[try again]

Will the go give him some anti anxiety meds?

 

[Charlton Annie]

Depression and anxiety are very common in people with dementia. My own wife takes meds for depression and anxiety as well as her Alzheimer’s. Indeed, I read recently that the vascular damage can both be the actual cause of the issue or be caused by it. There is an AS Factsheet about the issue and it can be found by following this linkQUOTE]

Thank you, Pete - wishing you & your wife well.

 

[Charlton Annie]

Will the go give him some anti anxiety meds?

They’re reluctant due to the other medication he takes but it’s under constant review. Thanks for replying.

 

[Bunpoots]

My dad is 88 & has Alzheimer’s & vascular dementia. He has recently been displaying signs of anxiety including wandering at night & during the day & having mild panic attacks which then lead him to phone for an ambulance. The paramedics are all absolutely lovely and very understanding, the gp is aware and a mental health referral is going through. However, all these things take time and I wondered if anyone had tips on how to deal with it. It happened three times yesterday (they eventually took him in), twice the day before and so on. My mum is 84 and is of the generation that hates to ask for help (which can be a challenge in itself!) so she is always so embarrassed and struggles to deal with it. Any ideas on how to manage or shared stories gratefully received.

I know constant phone calls are a theme on here. My dad went through a phase early on of phoning my daughter at work because he didn't want to bother me. I'm self employed so wouldn't have been in trouble with the boss!! Unfortunately it's something that's hard to stop.

Does his GP know that he's phoning for an ambulance several times a day?
This might convince them that a med review is needed urgently.

I know many GPs are reluctant to prescribe meds to reduce anxiety because of possible side effects and interactions and quite right too but your mum and dad obviously need help.

I wonder if going to some sort of social activities would help, I'm thinking lunch club or something for both of them to go to until your dad gets his diagnosis. Or even just going for a stroll or a drive if your mum drives.

I appreciate this is really difficult for your mum to deal with and she may not even feel able to take him out by herself.

Our council have a "help yourself" website which has a few ideas for clubs and social activities for all ages. Is there anything like that in your area?

 

[margherita]

You seem to have two different (though connected) problems to solve, your dad's anxiety and his phoning for an ambulance when it is not necessary.
His doctors are trying to find some meds that do not interfere with his current therapy.
Might you try to avoid his phone calls temporarily "blocking" the phone?

 

[Charlton Annie]

You seem to have two different (though connected) problems to solve, your dad's anxiety and his phoning for an ambulance when it is not necessary.
His doctors are trying to find some meds that do not interfere with his current therapy.
Might you try to avoid his phone calls temporarily "blocking" the phone?

Thanks for responding. We have wondered about that but think it will only add to the anxiety,.

 

[Charlton Annie]

I know constant phone calls are a theme on here. My dad went through a phase early on of phoning my daughter at work because he didn't want to bother me. I'm self employed so wouldn't have been in trouble with the boss!! Unfortunately it's something that's hard to stop.

Does his GP know that he's phoning for an ambulance several times a day?
This might convince them that a med review is needed urgently.

I know many GPs are reluctant to prescribe meds to reduce anxiety because of possible side effects and interactions and quite right too but your mum and dad obviously need help.

I wonder if going to some sort of social activities would help, I'm thinking lunch club or something for both of them to go to until your dad gets his diagnosis. Or even just going for a stroll or a drive if your mum drives.

I appreciate this is really difficult for your mum to deal with and she may not even feel able to take him out by herself.

Our council have a "help yourself" website which has a few ideas for clubs and social activities for all ages. Is there anything like that in your area?

Thank you for your kind suggestions. I took them to a lunch club last week and they both loved it but he still called for an ambulance later than evening! Mum is partially sighted so can’t drive. I try to encourage them to even walk round the garden every day but it never seems to happen unless i’m there! The meds are under review, GP is aware & mental health referral is going through - it just takes time but hopefully we’ll get there.

 

[Bunpoots]

Thank you for your kind suggestions. I took them to a lunch club last week and they both loved it but he still called for an ambulance later than evening! Mum is partially sighted so can’t drive. I try to encourage them to even walk round the garden every day but it never seems to happen unless i’m there! The meds are under review, GP is aware & mental health referral is going through - it just takes time but hopefully we’ll get there.

I feel for you. It's hard to feel responsible for someone else. Have you thought about introducing a companion to take some of the responsibility off yourself.in the early days I found a local lady to keep my dad company, take him out once a week and do his cleaning and gardening. She charges less than a carer but doesn't do personal care.... Although recently she has when she's found dad in a state .

Just another thought. Does your mum have a mobile phone? Maybe you could disconnect the phone your dad uses and then your mum could pretend to call for an ambulance. That might be enough to settle him.

 

[canary]

Try unplugging the phone. You may find that he goes through the motions of dialing 999 and asking for an ambulance without realising that there is no-one the other end. Mum used to phone me, but it was obvious that she had no awareness of it being me at the other end - she would talk into the phone and not to me

 

[Scriv]

We had this problem whilst our relative was in Sheltered Accommodation. They were able to put some kind of block on the number for the 999 calls, but couldn't do anything about the 111 service unfortunately or the GP surgery.

 

[Angela57]

I had this problem with my mum, so eventually I unplugged the phone in her lounge, when she realised it wasn't working she used to ask me to call on my mobile, which I pretended to do. Then I tried to settle and distract her while we were waiting. Most of the time it worked and she forgot about wanting an ambulance, but not always.

Good luck