Susiewoo, my every sympathy ..... I assume your dad lives independently as does my mother (independently being a relative term).
Today I have seen 'the other side of this coin' - having registered EPA a year back - done everything I can think of to advise /deter 'marketing opportunists' (gosh, that was a polite way of putting it) of contacting her - I fell at the final hurdle today when I discovered my mother herself had amazingly managed to open up a 'Yellow Pages' type directory - call a contractor and invite them to undertake totally unnecessary work at her house ....... (I am hopefully able to 'unravel' any contract she has verbally committed to - but yes, more stress I could without just now - and sheer 'fluke' I had discovered the situation before work had been carried out)
I cannot stop leaflets/flyers/magazines/free local journals and directories dropping though her door ....... I cannot keep an eye on her 24/7 ...... I am afraid these kind of situations make me question the risk she poses to herself of living alone - whilst on the surface they are hardly life threatening .... they are illustrative of their terrible vulnerability .....
Jennifer, this 'blocking' ???...... I will do my own homework - but the idea of mum only being able to 'dial out' to certain numbers (me, family, neighbours, docs say) .... did you find anything in your 'gentle research' on that? Crazy - somedays she swears the telephone doesn't work ....... couldn't decipher a number let alone being able to read and dial it ....... or even remember my name ......
Sorry, Susiewoo, not much practical help - but I hope someone comes along with better ideas for a great number of us with a similar problem ..... Love, Karen, x