teleCalm Bridges Isolation for Seniors with Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Specialty phone service connects families during COVID-19 pandemic
teleCalm Bridges Isolation for Seniors with Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Specialty phone service connects families during COVID-19 pandemic
Specialty phone service teleCalm protects seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia, empowers caregivers, and brings peace of mind to family members.
“The service has been life-changing for our subscribers and particularly so during the COVID-19 pandemic” said co-founder and CEO Tavis Schriefer.
Because seniors with dementia experience challenges using the phone, many times the only solution is to remove it from their residence altogether, which can lead to isolation and lack of communication between seniors and family members.
teleCalm allows seniors to make and receive calls easily and allows family members to filter incoming and outgoing calls. This eliminates inappropriate 911, repeat dialing and scam calls.
“The service has resulted in extremely positive feedback since we launched in 2017 and has been critical for families during the last few weeks of sheltering in place,” said Schriefer.
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard stories about families that can’t connect to loved ones in senior living communities and teleCalm has helped to bridge that gap,” he said.
Subscriber Lisa Johnson, who recently lost her father to COVID-19, was able to maintain communication with her parents in senior living and have a final phone call with her father.
“I told him everything I wanted to tell him. I told him I loved him and, in an instant, with the most clarity in his voice, he told me he loved me back and that he knew that no matter what, we loved him. That was the last conversation I had with my Dad,” said Johnson.
“teleCalm truly was our lifeline. I feel like it played such a huge role for me and my family because I was able to articulate to my sisters what my father had said,” she said.
Family members can subscribe to teleCalm and there are no additional costs to senior living owners. The service is easy to set up, even with current shelter in place parameters.
teleCalm was inspired by Tavis and Jill Schriefer’s experience in caring for his mother, who suffered from dementia.
“As caregivers, we experienced the challenges of helping a loved one with dementia retain a level of independence while keeping them safe from targeted scams and telemarketers,” said Schriefer.
In addition to seniors with dementia, the teleCalm solution benefits individuals with cognitive challenges such as Parkinson’s Disease, autism, and traumatic brain injury.
Jane and Noble Cross – Loved and Cared for by Lisa Johnson