We had to shut off her oven and stove because she almost burned the house down after leaving food in oven at 500 degrees. Just yesterday, she ignited yet another fire in the microwave by putting food in for 45 minutes then falling asleep. She is deaf and has no sense of smell and thus cannot tell if something is burning or an alarm has gone off. We need something safe that can shut off automatically and hopefully keep her and our home safe. Help!
Why dooesn't some manufacturere make such a microwave: do they think there is just not enough money in it? One would think that todays elderly numbers. along with the baby-boomer retirees, would provide a large enough market.
I'm asking if someone has seen a "cheap-o" as I described above, with just a couple of buttons.
If I got it, I'd try to limit how long it would heat by taping it or marking it, so that mom wasn't trying to heat something for 45 minutes. I can't think of anything that needs to be microwaved for that long.
If I were buying another microwave, I would go to the store and look for one with a panel that is easy to read -- big writing with good contrast. I would look for one with a simple panel without a jillion options. Then I would get online and read reviews about the product. Of course, there will still be surprises if you buy it. We never know until we open the instruction book that you have to turn around three times, then bark, before entering a complex series of panel pushes.
When my mom couldn't handle the microwave anymore, it was time for her to move to the assisted living unit, out of her independent senior apartment. This was one of many signs. She ended up skipping assisted living due to some major incidents that happened.
She also was not able to handle other process/sequential-step based tasks. The microwave thing was not happening in isolation as a freak problem.
She could not keep her bills paid (but said she could), her medicine sorted and taken correctly (but insisted she did). She could not do her laundry or keep her fridge cleaned out of rotten food. She could not write out a check, or address an envelope, which is why bills weren't getting paid. She couldn't make sense of the Rx bottles.
Keep your eyes, ears, nose, and brain open to look for other small things that may no longer be in order anymore. The laundry, the trash, piles of clothes or laundry that can't seem to be put away, piled up dirty dishes in the sink, home repairs that aren't getting done. One thing tends to lead to the next.
by not en
Eventually his mother forgot about using the microwas. Simple and cheap is the way if you are going to buy a microwave for use by a person with memory loss.
sharpusa
They only max at 6 minutes and have dial or preset time options. worth my piece of mind
Plus, if they are that impaired mentally, I'm not sure how you can trust that they wouldn't stick something metal in an outlet or eat some nonfood item that might make them sick.
I just wonder if it's prudent to keep accommodating a person who's symptoms are saying they need constant supervision. I realize that everyone values their independence, but to me sometimes the risk are too scary.
Our 88 year old Dad with dementia has meals on wheels. As someone said, you never know what adventure will be when we or the aides are there. A plastic container with his brown sugar for his coffee took out his microwave. Took hours to get the charred smell of brown sugar and plastic out of the house. We are going to try this microwave....
Hugs to all who are keeping parents safe in their homes as long as possible!!!
It includes an outlet jack and a sensor that attaches to the microwave. When the sensor detects smoke from the microwave, the connected outlet jack turns off power to the outlet.