Cold Calls' Impact on Dementia Patients

June 30, 2010 - PRLog -- The issue has never been addressed but it is high time that the industry is questioned over the virtue of their calls.  Call centre staff are not aware of the implications that their calls have on the lives of those they speak to on the phone.  Their pressured selling tactics could be the most daunting experience to a customer experiencing an illnesses such as dementia that affects the brain activity.

Over 1.5 billion nuisance calls are made to the British public every year.  BT receives more than 100,000 queries every month from individuals who are concerned about silent calls, which are particularly discerning to those suffering from mental illnesses.

There are currently 750,000 people suffering from dementia in the UK, with over 16,000 younger people suffering from the disease. By 2025 there will be over a million people with dementia. The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every five year age group, with one third of people over 95 suffering. 60,000 deaths a year are due to dementia.

Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia by 30,000 a year.  This could be further reduced through limiting the stress placed on patients at home.

“Our customers are repeatedly coming to us with concerns over their health due to nuisance calling.  Some are faced with more than five nuisance calls in just one day.  The elderly in particular spend a lot of time at home and calls are placing significant risks to their health” says Kathryn Powell of the Call Prevention Registry.

The financial cost of dementia to the UK is over £20 billion a year and family carers of people with dementia save the UK over £6 billion a year.  Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community and such carers and sufferers need to focus on protecting their phone lines, as well as their communities from cold callers, rogue traders and potential fraudsters.

Cold calling is the most irresponsible form of marketing as many customers have to pay the price of putting up with several nuisance calls in one day, with the most vulnerable population becoming targets for marketers.  In effect, if this was a more individual and personal focused industry, it would be deemed as abuse and it would be breeching the Hate Crime Disability law.

OfCom’s latest plans to combat persistent silent calls made to UK householders will now be enforced by prosecutions if they proceed in calling households more than once within the space of 24 hours.  As enlightening as this new legislation sounds, the law still does not apply to the majority of the calls which originate from overseas companies.  However, the Call Prevention are the only service to prevent overseas companies from calling their customers, as well as UK based.

The Call Prevention Registry is the most effective service to help households eliminate the hassle of nuisance calls out of their lives.  Cold calling can affect many people in different ways and those who suffer from dementia, depression or other diseases alike, nuisance calls can have dire effects on their anxiety levels, resulting in adverse health implications.

Customers can register their details with Call Prevention Registry by calling freephone 0800 652 7780 or by visiting www.callpreventionregistry.com. E-mail is available at info@callpreventionregistry.com.    Customers can be assured a top level of privacy with a fast and friendly call back service.

ENDS

Media Contacts:

For further information or an interview, please contact Miss. Kathryn Powell, Head of PR for CPR Global.

Telephone: (01792) 454180
Mobile:          07792221267
Email:            k.powell@callpreventionregistry.com
Post:              CPR Global, York Chambers, Swansea, Wales, SA1 3LZ.

# # #

Ensuring your telephone number is no longer available to organisations, including charities & voluntary organisations. By registering your telephone number with us, companies who telephone you with offers and sales calls will no longer be able to do so.