Let's Play Telephone

The phone bill from Mom's room has been creeping upward to astronomical amounts each month.  It seems that Mom still remembers how to dial 411 for directory assistance and connection to make her calls. She's been using 411 about 25 times each month and it's costing a small fortune.  

After several frustrating calls to Verizon I thought I had succeeded in getting 411 blocked on her phone.  That was until I actually tried to use 411 from her phone, and it connected!  I made a new set of phone calls to Verizon and found out that you can't completely depend on a blocked 411. ( I tried to explain to the agent that either something is blocked, or not, but apparently this simple idea escapes the geniuses who run Verizon--but I digress). I was finally referred to the representative who handles special services to Verizon customers with disabilities. She explained that Mom could have unlimited access to 411 if her doctor attests to her legal blindness as her disability.  Wow! this is what we need, I thought.

I brought the Verizon form to Mom's nursing home doctor.  The same doctor who's been treating her, and seeing her EVERY DAY for 2 1/2 years!  Her response: "What is your mother's disability?"
I explained that she has macular degeneration and is legally blind.  Her response: "I didn't know that!"
I'm still in shock that this doctor could be so blind, herself.  Every nurse and aid on Mom's floor know that Mom is blind! Mom talks about it about 300 times each day and has difficulty recognizing faces so for this doctor to be unaware of this, scares me.  I left the Verizon form with the nurse for the doctor to consider signing and will follow up in a few days.

In the meantime, Mom has stopped calling here--verification that she was using 411 and perhaps the service is actually blocked as I hoped.  Mom has also stopped ANSWERING the phone!
So, even though I will pursue the disability form, and will hope that the house doctor finally knows my mother's disability, all of this may be in vain.  For if Mom stops using the phone, and forgets how to do it, I may have to just give up and pull the phone from her room.  HELP!