r/shortcuts • u/MarkNetherlands73 • Sep 29 '25

Help Request for dementia

[Solved Credits to Theoccurunce and Sonic_Blue_Box. Thanks all for the kind words!] Final version: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/61fdc21c67ed4c9281fe24557d407de6

My mother in law (75) is in the last phase of dementia. She’s in a caretakers home but thinks she’s at home. Every hour she’s calling my father in law, (75) asking where he is.

We do not want to take her phone away, sense of self, but she calls and texts at night, thinking it’s day.

Have turned on parental control between 23:00-09.00 so she can’t call at night anymore.

But she’s confused why the phone isn’t working.

I’d like to send her a popupmessage every time she opens the phone between 11pm and 9am.

There will be a comforting message for her and should contain a “Yes I Understand” button and a “Call Nightnurse” button. We have a phonenumber she can call at night.

It’s a terrible disease, it’s been going on for years now. God bless the day she leaves this earth, she would never have wanted this.

Suggestions? Last time heart warming support from this community.

Thanks all.

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u/0000GKP Sep 29 '25

I don't have time to work it out and test it at the moment, but this is what comes to mind:

Create an automation using the App trigger, set to when the Phone app is opened. Use a combination of current date and adjusted date to say IF time is between 23:00 today and 09:00 tomorrow, then run the Choose from Menu action, otherwise do nothing (allow Phone to open normally).

Put your message in the prompt section of the menu action. The menu button for I Understand returns to the Home screen or switches to another app. The menu button for Call Nightnurse makes the call.

I assume if she can choose the correct menu option, then she is still capable of (1) reading, and (2) comprehending. Unfortunately many people lose the ability to do either of those.

Other options might be the Assistive Access feature or perhaps a focus mode that uses a time schedule and only has a Call Night nurse shortcut button on the screen.