Iphone for Mom with early onset Alz

Holli-bug

So my mom has asked and asked for a new phone. She previously bricked her iphone so badly even Apple was impressed. It's toast. I have gotten her a new one, and am in the process of setting it up, but I want to put some safeguards in place. I know about the parental controls, and have an appt with Apple to get all of that squared away. But what are some other things you guys have discovered worked for you to help your loved one have a way to communicate, have access to things like youtube, netflix, etc but also won't allow them to make changes to said apps or to the phone itself? I feel like it's been forever since we had to deal with this with our kids, but honestly so much of this is similar. 

My mom is 63. She has had signs of early onset for about five years. Her brother was diagnosed at 59, her sister at 58. I've known it was coming. She had a sudden step off event last October, and we've been working. hard to get to.a place where she can manage having a phone to contact me directly. (The facility she is in is less than good, and we're working on moving her, but have run into a lot of roadblocks. The largest of which is her doc says she's completely fine and doesn't need a guardian, and her mini mental is 27/30. It was 9 in December.) 

I would appreciate any and all suggestions! 

King Boo

So, the mini mental is a screening tool.   Sounds like it's time for a full Neuropsychological Evaluation from a PhD neuropsychologist.   And a new PCP.

a landline might be way easier to use.    Parental controls and nomorbo only do so much on a smartphone.  

Holli-bug

Landline isn't an option. She can't even use the landline a the facility. Luckily at the moment, her roommate (in the facility for wound care post op) has an ipad and she can facebook messenger video me each night.

French

My partner is eoad. Mobile phone is now difficult. It was already difficult 2 years ago.

He use a old one with only phone & message. I removed all the other icons. Even messages, he isn’t able to send one. But he can call. What is important is to remove the access to bank account. 

He has an iPad but just read the news and watch lord of the rings several times per week,. He has Netflix but unable to use it. Unable to manage the sound. When it is to loud and he can’t stop it he put it under a cushion and he presses on it.  The tablet will die or he will set the bed on fire.

The most important is to be sure that no credit card can be used. 

ebplionis

So this isn't what you asked for, but for my two cents, the echo show has been a godsend for my parents.  It has a "drop in" function which allows for you to just "appear" on the device, without an official call, basically taking the user error out of reaching them.  Basically I attempt to reach them on the regular phones first to keep their skill in tact, but if I can't get through I drop in with a video call on the echo show.

As for the iphone, they have android devices, but I try to keep the apps to a minimum on the phone as a general rule.  

harshedbuzz

I would make sure it's in a very secure case and labeled for easy return should another resident go shopping in her room. 

Could she call you independently when she was placed. Phones were some of the earliest technology dad lost. Two years post dx and he used it to try to change channels on the TV or the setting of the fan.

I have never heard of someone's MMSE improving to that great a degree. 9 to 27 would lead me to arranging a re-evaluation at a memory clinic.

King Boo

If you look into assistive technology, there is a simple landline phone that does not involve dialing, just hitting the picture of the person they want to call.

To the best of my knowledge, while you can block specific incoming numbers on an i phone, but you cannot lock outgoing calls, and this therefore is a portal to all sorts of possible trouble.  Like giving out DOB and SS numbers to phising calls.  We get at least 5 a week even with the do n ot call registry and nomorobo.  

Be sure you have locked down your LO's credit scores and financial accounts before giving her the phone.  The former is easy to do online.  

MN Chickadee

It seems like it  will be hard to keep a regular iPhone in good shape. You can try but I suspect you will be in the same position in a few weeks. There is only so much you can do to a phone that is so wide open. I would make sure bank accounts, credit cards, credit scores etc are all locked down so she can't lose money to scammers. There is a mode on iphone called guided access where you can designate what can be clicked on and have to enter a pin to get out of that mode, but I don't think it would be fool proof and would probably cause problems after not too long. 

There are a couple technology products geared for dementia. One is the Raz Mobility phone. It is a very basic cell phone designed for people with cognitive issues. Also the Grand Pad, a tablet. Very basic and hard to screw up, has basic email and a browser and games etc. There is also a specific service you can use with the Amazon Echo called the Care Hub. You can drop in on the Echo without her having to do anything, and the CareHub allows you more control from afar and will notify you if she calls for help. The ability to use technology often goes early for a PWD. The period where they think they want to use it and can't is frustrating but it doesn't last forever. Most of us end up removing phones and eventually  televisions from their room because it becomes too much of a problem to operate. Before long you may need to use a therapeutic fib such as your phone is in for repair and will be back soon. Keep kicking that can down the road, say it's taking longer than expected. 

As for a diagnosis, a PCP is not adequate to determine if she is competent. My mother could pass the memory test just fine for a while even though she was very compromised and could not live on her own. Some dementias bring about symptoms other than memory loss in the beginning and that basic test would not detect that. I would use fiblets to get her into a neurologist. If legal documents are not in order, see an elder law attorney asap. You need to get POA in order immediately so that if and when you get a doctor's statement that she needs oversight you have the ability to legally step in.

zauberflote

Hi Holli-bug-- I'm assuming you've already started paying for the phone, yes? So no real option to cancel the order. HB mentioned keeping the phone secure from "hunter gatherers". There would be no malice nor idea of "theft of expensive item" involved if another resident disappeared it one day. It would simply be "I like that pretty thing and want to carry it with me". And it might then wind up in a toilet tank. And so the bricking of the new phone might be accomplished inadvertently. My brother asked Mom to hold his phone while they were driving once, and suddenly the map directions were coming out in an Aussie voice. Mom was "just messing"!

I think you should ask the Apple folks your question. Not sure there's a way to keep her from "changing an app" if the app itself doesn't require your Apple ID for changes. You can prevent her from downloading new apps simply by not giving her her Apple ID password. You can prevent ApplePay purchases by setting a PIN, and not telling to to her. However-- all those things are changeable in Settings, and who's to say she wouldn't change them even by accident. Locking down all credit cards and bank accounts, as suggested, is necessary. Not giving her the Netflix PW. Etc. 

 Here is my huge concern: yesterday I got a (actually one of very many) call that appeared to be local. Computerized (but not everybody can hear that) message from the "Social Security Administration, press 1 to speak to an officer". I was in a mood to mess with spammers/phishers, so I pressed 1. I had fun, the "officer" didn't. If I'd been like so many others, I would have given away my identity and a huge amount of money in about 3 minutes. Your mom is going to be getting (legitimate but spam) calls from places that want her to buy her Medicare supplementals from them, starting pretty soon. She doesn't need the anxiety. 

Klgm326

I tried various types of phones, but it was just too much. I’ve just ordered a Raz Mobility cell phone. I control it from the app. I’m putting just my number and my husband’s with pictures. She just touches the picture and it calls us or tells her we are calling her. You can also whitelist other friends/family so they can call her, but she can’t call them (as she had begun to do at random times!) 911 can be “disabled” through a service that will text you if she tries to call it (intercepting an actual 911 call. It also stays on. She only has to set it on a charging pad. 

We also have a Facebook portal for videochats. There is another, simpler one called ViewClix that she doesn’t even have to answer. You can upload pictures that she can see and then can receive a videochat from anyone with whom you share the app. Good things! 

Teachertee

We put Find My Friends on my mother's iPhone so we can sort of track her whereabouts, in case she gets lost when walking the dog or when she was still driving by herself anywhere.  

We also made sure no apps for purchasing anything are on there.  None of her credit cards or accounts are linked to any apps she uses and she just surrendered the debit card to my father.

She's getting confused by the call history, thinking that the numbers she has called recently are missed calls.  She calls my. my sister and my boyfriend quite frequently so we have started screening calls.  She's become a bit fixated on the phone.

May flowers

The best phone we got for my FIL was a Kisa phone. He didn’t need data and such and the iPhone was way too hard for him to navigate. His phone has 4 buttons - his children and 911, and answer and hang up button. Also has GPS. It’s made in Australia, but we got the SIM card from ATT and the service only costs about $15/month