Danhedonia
Noted duckfat enthusiast
So, on a rampage today, and thought I'd quit sidestepping the real issue and ask for advice. There are so many good people here, maybe someone can help me figure out what to do.
Scenario: mother is dying, 2,200 miles away. Save the kleenex - she's been at the dying part since December, 2011. You read that correctly. Since then, she's logged over a year in ICU's/CCU's, and about 50% of the total time in a wide variety of hospitals, LTACs, and rehabs.
Here's my problem: Each time she is hospitalized, I am called - and called .... and called .... and called ... - by hospital staff. I am her health care proxy, and there are times it's super-important I answer the call. Also, one of these days, she will die, and so I answer every call from Massachusetts numbers 'just in case.'
The thing is, it's usually a case worker or social worker, having conversations that are enormous wastes of time. (I wont' bore you with why unless you ask). And even though I tell them a few specific windows when I can call - and text and email those times to them, so they have them on their phones - they just don't respect boundaries.
They call during my teaching of class. They call before 6am, even though they know the time difference (I'm in Mountain time).
In fact, last fall, I got so frustrated that I counted. Between August and December of 2016, I got over 200 inbound phone calls from hospital staff; three or four were from physicians. Probably a similar number from nurses.
A friend suggested that when the calls come, and I establish that my mother hasn't passed away, I say "I'm sorry, but if you're not a doctor or nurse I'm afraid I can't take this call right now" and hang up.
Getting a different proxy is not an option, btw.
Any suggestions?
Scenario: mother is dying, 2,200 miles away. Save the kleenex - she's been at the dying part since December, 2011. You read that correctly. Since then, she's logged over a year in ICU's/CCU's, and about 50% of the total time in a wide variety of hospitals, LTACs, and rehabs.
Here's my problem: Each time she is hospitalized, I am called - and called .... and called .... and called ... - by hospital staff. I am her health care proxy, and there are times it's super-important I answer the call. Also, one of these days, she will die, and so I answer every call from Massachusetts numbers 'just in case.'
The thing is, it's usually a case worker or social worker, having conversations that are enormous wastes of time. (I wont' bore you with why unless you ask). And even though I tell them a few specific windows when I can call - and text and email those times to them, so they have them on their phones - they just don't respect boundaries.
They call during my teaching of class. They call before 6am, even though they know the time difference (I'm in Mountain time).
In fact, last fall, I got so frustrated that I counted. Between August and December of 2016, I got over 200 inbound phone calls from hospital staff; three or four were from physicians. Probably a similar number from nurses.
A friend suggested that when the calls come, and I establish that my mother hasn't passed away, I say "I'm sorry, but if you're not a doctor or nurse I'm afraid I can't take this call right now" and hang up.
Getting a different proxy is not an option, btw.
Any suggestions?