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North Texas Woman Helps Elderly Mother Who Was Awaiting Text About COVID-19 Vaccine On Landline Phone

PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - One family's challenge to get an elderly relative vaccinated left them worried that other seniors may go unvaccinated unless they have help.

Sharon Taitel started making calls last week about getting a COVID-19 vaccine according to her daughter who lives in Plano.

Dana Freed says her 81-year-old mother is active and healthy for her age, but like a lot of elderly people, not skilled when it comes to the world of high tech.

Freed found out her mother was on a waiting list through her hospital for a COVID-19 vaccine and expecting to receive a text message to come in for a vaccine appointment.

Sharon Taitel and Dana Freed
Sharon Taitel and Dana Freed (credit: Dana Freed)

The problem with that was the mother doesn't have a cell phone and was calling from a landline phone which of course cannot receive text messages.

Freed says the experience opened her eyes to potential problems with getting those most at risk protected from infection.

"Older people don't have the flexibility always of having younger people help them out, to drive them or make the calls or the energy or the strength," said Freed. "So I'm really concerned that they may not have the opportunity to get the vaccine and they are the ones who need it."

Freed says when she realized her mother was having trouble, she got involved and was able to find a vaccine provider to administer one.

But she wants to urge people to check on seniors who may be living alone and make sure they have to tools and resources so this doesn't happen to them.

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