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I can't help but be concerned. Mom has dementia and her mind is gradually getting worse. I told her that it worries me that this woman she doesn't know reached out to her and now she's told her where she lives. She was offended and said "I'm not an idiot. This is how I've always changed my medicare plans". I'm working tomorrow but now I feel like I need to go over there to make sure she's safe. Does anyone have suggestions about how to stop these calls? I've put her number on the Do Not Call list but that obviously doesn't work. I'm sure numbers can be blocked but you have to know whar numbers to block.

Again medicare tools is answering a question it already replied to. I think these answers are AI generated which means they are taking there info from the internet not because its a person well versed in Medicare.

Administration...please review and block.
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PeggySue2020 Sep 25, 2026
It is an ai but it’s accurate
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I was wrong. Sales reps can come to the house
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97yroldmom Sep 25, 2026
Only if invited.
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"No, it is not illegal in Florida for a health insurance broker to come to your house, provided they are properly licensed and appointed."

Not allowing this sounds illogical. Many Seniors are homebound. Rather have someone come to my home than talk over the phone.
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Yes, there are phone plans for elders with dementia, such as RAZ, & Telecalm, which you can program to receive calls ONLY from numbers you allow.
There's also a device called GrandPad, which allows video calls with family, and also is programable to limit who can call in and who she can call. All these plans I think are designed to prevent late night calls and repetitive calling.
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I live in Florida. I believe my Florida insurance agent said it was illegal for those selling medicare plans to come to the Florida resident's house. I mentioned to my agent that another rep on the phone told me they would meet me at my house to discuss plans. My agent said that is illegal in florida.

This may just be a Florida thing.
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Thank you for responding. I'm planning to go over there today at the time she said the woman is supposed to come. I live about a 15 minute drive from her. She tends to get days wrong so it may not even be today. And she also gets details confused so there's no telling how this actually came about. But I know she gets alot of calls because they know she's a senior. If anyone has any ideas about how to keep the scammers and telemarketers at bay I would be interested to hear it. Getting rid of her land line is just not an option.
Mom got a call a few months back from a man who was being nice at first and then he asked her to send him money. When she said no he took a more threatening tone. She called the police but there isn't much they can do. Thankfully she didn't fall for it, but that could change. I deleted her Facebook account from her phone because she was talking to random people she didn't know and she had even asked one of them if they still loved her! And another claimed to be Alan Jackson! There are so many ways to scam a senior these days.
As far as insurance she already has a plan but she changed hers twice over the last year. It's frustrating because she doesn't know what she has and then neither do I and I go with her to her dr appointments now because she doesn't remember what they tell her.
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JoAnn29 Sep 22, 2026
You can call Medicare and they should be able to tell you what plans Mom has. Ask them if there is a way where changes can't be made without you being notified first.
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Well,
How did it go? Did you go snd support your mom? I hope the person was not a scammer..
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Hi
First, I will not tell you what is right or wrong that you are doing for your mom. Each person is different, each family is different. What I will explain is that while our loved ones are aging they do need supervision. In this case, I would make sure yourself or another family member can be present at this meeting. I have over 30 yrs in the elder care industry not to mention my own personal experiences. There is a lot you can do to ensure mental, financial & physical safety are in place for your mom while allowing her to age in place and still be independant in her own home. The immediate response is always "they can't do this, they can't do that". Our loved ones are very capable of still doing many thing, we just need to know how to introduce the new normal to ourselves, other family members and them.
For this instance, please ensure yourself or another family member are available to be there with her. Also, when suggesting you be there or someone else, never frame it as "we want to make sure you know what yur doing" I always suggest "4 ears are better than 2" or "well, i'm not getting any younger, I might find it useful too".
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BurntCaregiver Sep 12, 2026
The bottom line is families living in the real world have real life responsibilities like jobs, homes, kids, insurance payments, etc... that they must tend to. Most people can't simply devote their life to propping up a sense of false independence to appease the vanity of their elderly loved ones with or without dementia.

The immediate response in most situations involving the family of a senior with dementia is 'they can't do this or that'. Then they try to figure out how their LO is going to be kept safe and cared for while managing their own lives at the same time. So really, how the argument is 'framed' isn't so important when your job only gives you half an hour for lunch.

When a LO gets a diagnosis of dementia they very well may be able to still do many things and they should be encouraged to when it is safe to do so. With dementia, a person can't be trusted or counted on. So there needs to be constant supevision and a 'Plan B' in place for when they can't do something. This is a hard truth, but is the truth just the same. Dementia is hard on everyone in the life of the person who has it. At times you must say no or not allow something and yes it can seem cruel sometimes. Many family members can't behave this way because they're worried about hurting feelings or not respecting independence so their LO with dementia ends up being left in precarious and dangerous situations.
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An older guy who was a friend told me that he was going to the bank that day to withdraw money. He said he was going to meet someone who had previously called him, and he was going to give that person a huge amount. Since the older guy was displaying cognitive difficulties, I first called the bank and asked them to be on the lookout for older guy because I suspected he was being scammed. I then called the police and they sent officers to the bank who explained to him what was going on. The bank put a block of some sort on his account so that he couldn't withdraw or send funds over a certain amount to people who want to scam him. I don't know what happened to the scammer!

The point is that you CAN stop these things, and the bank and the police are helpful and eager to stop it. They must see a lot of it.

Your mother is no longer safe alone at home. It's time to look for other living accommodations. I don't suggest you take her into your home; you'd be dealing with this kind of situation night and day on your own turf. Before you even consider it, read lots of posts on here from people who are miserable because they let their (wonderful sweet fantastic well-loved) parents move in. Personalities change with dementia, and for now I'll leave you with that…...
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MAYDAY Sep 11, 2026
I hope the scammer got caught and put away for a number of years..
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Your mother has dementia. She can't be living alone anymore. Definitely, if you can't be there when this woman goes to her house have someone you both know and trust go so your mother doesn't get talked into anything or get scammed.

It's time for some changes with your mother. Like assisted living, or a live-in companion, or moving her in with family. She can't live alone anymore if she has dementia.
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Reply to BurntCaregiver
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Ask mom for this Inurance agents phone number and call her yourself before the meeting.

Or, take your lunch hour at the scheduled meeting time to be there in person.

Mom should not be living alone anymore with dementia going on, it's just too dangerous in too many ways.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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As Funkygrangma mentioned, Please start looking into assisted living .
sounds like you have a bit of time to do your homework and make appointments with you and mom. They will give you. Your and lunch. They will tell you what they offer, and the different levels of care they offer,
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There are insurancebrokers whocome to your house. My friend has one. I think I would ask for the time off and be there when the woman comes.

Maybe its time that Mom does not live alone anymore.
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Beethoven13 Sep 22, 2026
Call insurance lady and reschedule until a time that suits you to be there. Because you want to make sure your mother makes the best decision for her and she is safe. If broker lady is legit she will cooperate and understand. If she doesn’t, your suspicions confirmed. Inform your mother of the updated appointment time.
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Any changes in Medicare plans are usually done over the phone and not in person(my experience anyway). There is so much fraud and scamming of the elderly these days that one can't be too careful, and yes someone should be with your mom so she's not taken advantage of.

And on a side note, since your mom has dementia, it's probably best that she doesn't live by herself anymore. Time to look into getting her placed in an assisted living facility where she'll be looked after and perhaps won't have to worry about being scammed.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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call the police now and tell them what had happened. And ask if they can send a patrol car around the time this woman is supposed to show up.. just a lil heads up that mom is really not all alone..and hopefully you can be there too, or another family member..

mom did not initiate the meeting..

HOPE FHE HAS LIVING TRUST, POA done.

I had a text a few months ago:
MOM MY CELL PHONE DIED. CALL ME BACK ON THIS NUMBER!!
I called the work number..yes, the cell phone is working just fine...
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Do you or mom have friends nearby who can be there?

mom kinda had a similar situation.. she felt sorry for a homeless person.

I told mom that it's not safe to invite strangers into your home, alone. Intook
mom to the store and to my place to pack a bag.. mom got scared after thinking about it.. she slept at my house...thus was years ago, beginning of dementia..

2 days ago, the news reported; a man in 20's told an olde lady, his camping gear was stolen. He stayed over a week, and was getting aggressive. She asked him to leave. He replied by hitting her with a metal pipe.. she's hospitalized..she has brain injuries...I believe..
DOES YOUR MOM NEED ANY KIND IF INSURANCE ?

I highly suggest you ask for the day off and better for mom...

SO MANY SCAMS AIMED AT ELDER People.

you may want to call the police and see if this is a common crime scheme..
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