Jewish Home Lifecare :: Caring as individual as you

Repeated Calls. Minimizing Interruptions.

<< Caregivers' Support

Repeated Calls. Minimizing Interruptions.
Jewish Home Blog Jewish Home News

Repeated Calls. Minimizing Interruptions.

Repeated phone calls at work can be distracting and frustrating.  The following suggestions may help resolve the problem:

  • Think about what the person is really asking during each phone call.  Are they bored or lonely? Is something else going on?
  • Set a specific time that the elder can call you the phone. For example, the phone calls will take place on your lunch break on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.  Be sure to stick to your plan.  And be clear that an emergency situation is different.
  • Ask other family members and friends if they can set a specific time to talk to the elder on the phone, so he or she will have a schedule of phone calls to make.
  • Is your loved one able to write?  Get pens, stationary and stamps so the elder can  write letters to family and friends. 
  • Adult Day Programs offer recreational and social stimulation, plus meals and other activities. 
  • Find a “friendly volunteer companion” from a church, local high school or senior center to come over for a few hours a week to talk or read together. 
  • Review our resources for elders living at home for other ideas. 

Resources

Administration on Aging
Department on Health and Human Services
National Family Caregiver Support Program
www.aoa.gov

New York City Office of Labor Relations
Family Medical Leave Act
www.nyc.gov/html/olr/html/faqs/man_family.shtml

Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others – A Caregiver's Survival & Renewal Guide
Lawrence M. Brammer, Ph.D. and Marian L. Bingea, M. A.
New York: Vantage Press, 1999