My 78 yo mom was diagnosed with dementia recently. She calls me constantly on my cell phone and I can't be answering it as I work during the day and don't want to get fired for taking too many personal calls. I feel like a bad daughter for not picking up, but really I have done a lot already and every time I do pick up, it's the same thing over and over. Is it bad and normal that I am so fed up already with it?
Since the caregiver can call you if there is an urgent matter, i'd have no trouble letting the calls go to voice mail. If you answered each one, she would have forgotten them all at the end of the day. So, I'd be pragmatic about it.
I would make it a priority to get her to take the medication. I'd focus on getting her to take it, as her anxiety and delusions seem to be causing her extreme emotional distress. Those fears are very real to her. I wouldn't ignore it and discuss it with her doctor. Sometimes meds need adjusting. I might also try to get more help with her care.
Over and over.....
She has been prescribed two medications by her doctor (Zyprexa and Depakene) but she is very bad about taking the full amounts even when we can get her to take them or caregiver tries to get her to take them.
And, short of supervision and changing your number, there is no way to convince them to stop calling, because, they keep forgetting that they called or that they promised to not call so much. So, really, having her supervised, by someone who can monitor the calls and not allow repeated calls is the only way that I know of.
I might also discuss it with her doctor. She might be overly anxious. I'd discuss what type of supervision she might need, in light of what you're seeing.
The simple answer is just don’t answer. Put your phone on vibrate. You can’t lose your job, after all. Or if you feel like you have to answer, go to your supervisors and explain the situation. But if it’s taking you away from your job, don’t expect them to understand. If you answer, say “I can’t talk now, Mom” and hang up. Make sure, if she does live alone, she is capable of calling 911 or investigate an emergency alert device.