A phone can be a lifeline for someone with dementia, but it can also become a source of huge stress. Here’s how to protect the person you care about from cold callers
Nuisance phone calls can make life a misery for people with dementia, and cause a great deal of worry and anguish for their families. We’ve all heard horror stories about vulnerable people being fleeced of their lifesavings by unscrupulous criminals.
Every year thousands of complaints are made about nuisance phone calls. Last year, one firm was fined a staggering £350,000 for making more than 46 million automated calls.
‘These calls can not only have a negative financial impact, but can also lead to psychological effects such as anxiety, depression and loss of self- esteem,’ says Hilda Hayo, the Chief Executive of Dementia UK.
The Government recently announced a crackdown on cold callers. ‘We have seen people tricked out of thousands of pounds by scam callers and this government is determined to clamp down on their activities once and for all,’ Prime Minister Theresa May announced in April.
The new Government scheme will pay for 1,500 people in the UK to have call blocking devices installed in their homes. It’s a good first step, but with more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, it’s not going to go very far.
So if you want to address the problem yourself, sooner rather than later, we’ve sourced two very clever and reasonably priced devices that could do the job for you. Best of all, they’re both easy to install.
CPR Call Blocker Protect +
This smart gadget blocks all calls except the numbers you choose. You can make sure that your loved one only receives calls from people they know and trust, and will be happy to hear from.
CPR Call Blocker V5000
This call blocker comes with 5000 pre-blocked numbers known to be unwanted callers such as sales calls, market research calls, recorded message calls, and, most menacing of all, those silent calls.
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