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My mom is in rehab at a nursing home. So far, she is not progressing with physical and occupational therapy. She will probably have to stay in the nursing home long term. The staff advised me not to bring her cell phone, as they disappear. Should I have a landline installed in her room? Or, will that just bring problems?

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MiCoHa, I vote for a landline. Reason why, an elder has had 60+ years or more of using a landline and it is ingrained in their mind on how to use it.

My Dad was in his 90's with general age decline, and he had no issues with using a landline except for remembering to dial "9" prior to dialing the number he wanted to call. Even when his memory started to fade a bit, he still knew how to use a landline.

Cellphones are just too complicated, I know for me it takes a half dozen steps just to text someone.... I might as well call the person on a landline, it would take less time :P
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FF is right, as usual. But, make sure mom is mentally able to use the phone and not confuse 3PM with 3AM. And don’t panic if she doesn’t answer the phone. Therapy schedules can change and she may simply be out of her room.
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My mother was forced into getting a cell phone when my brother's household went "w/o landline". She cannot use the cell phone and it's pointless to try to teach her. It is the simplest kind made, with huge numbers and letters, and someone set it up so all she has to do is touch the keypad next to the name of the person she wants to call. Can't do it. She had BEGGED brother to please reinstall her landline and he simply...won't. She was paying for it, I don't know why he's being such a PITA about this small thing. She feels VERY cut off from the world.

We will always have a landline. I like it. I like the sound clarity and the fact calls are never dropped due to me driving through a "dead spot". The cell phone is for texting and posting to the family Instagram only.

When mom was in rehab we had the option of a landline at a small additional cost. Totally worth it!
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When my mom moved to AL her landline she had to dial “9” to get an outside line. I bought her a phone from Amazon that I could program the telephone numbers and also had a place I could write the name or put a picture of the person who the number belong to. She still has the phone in SNF, but doesn’t use it much anymore 
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I think it depends on her cognitive ability level. My folks are in assisted living, both have dementia. I opted to not have a phone in their room. Mom will fall trying to answer, and we had so many scam problems with the phone when they were still home. I can call the AL and staff will take a cordless phone to them.
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I installed one in my Mom's room with her old number( so my siblings might pick up the phone periodically and phone her since most of the time they couldn't be bothered to visit) I don't know how often they phoned, but I phoned her every single day she was there, so even if I couldn't get there to visit in person I could have contact with her. For her, it was a lifeline.

If your Mom still knows how to use it, I think it's a marvelous idea!
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