gas cooker use...

[sarah c]

Just a bit of practical advice if you can...

Mental Health Nurse at the centra assessing Dad at the moment have rung me to say:

1. he must not have access to his medication
2. must nut use gas cooker or have access to it unsupervised.

now I had locked all his meds in a cabinet and hidden the key, but he has found it, so I have to hide it more permenantnly this time..

but the cooker? I am not sure how I can address this? The nurse said the gas board can fit an isolator, so we can turn the gas off unless someone is there. But Dad uses it toasting away each morning, and would soon report a fault!

anyone else experienced similar?

to add to this, my sister disagrees to both issues (denial) and says we shouldnt do what the nurses say as it is not necessary - so couple of rocks and a hard place here

 

[Amber 5]

1. he must not have access to his medication
2. must nut use gas cooker or have access to it unsupervised.

now I had locked all his meds in a cabinet and hidden the key, but he has found it, so I have to hide it more permenantnly this time..

but the cooker? I am not sure how I can address this? The nurse said the gas board can fit an isolator, so we can turn the gas off unless someone is there.

My mum's social worker has organised carers to come in am and pm to give mum her tablets. They were still being taken in between visits at first, so now we've had to buy a lockable box with key which is kept in the key box attached to wall outside for carers to access. Mum doesn't know the pin code!

My mum doesn't really use her cooker but does leave the gas fire on all the time. If I visit I have now persuaded her to let me turn it off as long as I promise to put it back on at night before leaving. I really worry about it, but am not too sure what to do about it. And yes, she would report it to the Gas Board and get someone out to fix it. She has been leaving it on full-time since they came to service it (in December) and told me that the man said it was fine to leave it on!! Maybe I should get him to come back and pay her bill (if true, but he probably didn't say it was ok).

Does your Dad need access to his cooker? Can he use a microwave instead? Does he have meals on wheels?

Gill x

 

[Softy]

Nice isnt it how Nurses and the like give all these instructions and no ideas on how you can achieve them. I would say take the cooker out and replace with a microwave and toaster. Or would an electric cooker be safer?

 

[Margarita]

Mental Health Nurse at the centra assessing Dad at the moment have rung me to say:

1. he must not have access to his medication
2. must nut use gas cooker or have access to it unsupervised.

If I was you I would phone Social worker, as I have read in your past post that you have a Social worker for your father.

Tell social worker what the mental health nurse said, then social worker can organise some technical assistant for the cooker, that can cut of the Gas if it is left on. every local authority has a funding for it .

As your in London your local Princes royal carers trust have also got funding for technical assistant. So the funding is out there social worker would no how to get it, to keep your father safe while his living in his own home

If social worker wants it in written report , what mental health nurse has advise , get mental health nurse to send a cope of her report to the social worker.

 

[julieann15]

Hi
Mum has a microwave/combi oven but I guess now it is the carers that always get mum's hot meal- She also has a small two ring hob to warm up beans etc and a toaster- works well for all concerned

Julie xx

 

[imac.girll1]

Hi Sarah

You should think about the outside box even for yourself, if you are giving the tablets daily why not even put the key on your own keyring.

I personally wouldnt suggest an electric cooker as they take a much longer time in colling down, well after someone has cooked on them.

Some gas cookers (not an expert on this but do ask around for advice), those that have a glass lid, even if the gas is lit when you put down the lid it automatically cuts off the gas and goes out, not leaving any gas seeping anywhere, also the grill if you close the door up on the grill the same thing happens aswell. The only thing that would obviously stay on is the oven when the door closes!

I have one of these cookers, and I am very grateful with my mother getting more forgetful by the day!

Check it out anyway.

iMac

 

[jenniferpa]

I've been thinking about this and I'm not sure there is a solution. To be honest, from a public health standpoint I'd be more concerned about the gas cooker - theoretically he could take out the whole street if this went wrong. As to replacing it - would he be able to learn a new system? If he's using it to make toast your other option would be a toaster and I'm reasonably certain that before you knew it, you'd be worrying about knives and other implements being put in there. Also, in my mother's extra care housing unit the last time I stayed there, there were an average of 2 false fire alarms a week due to "toast incidents".

I don't know if there's such a thing as a governor with a timer, so that the gas could only be put on for say, 1/2 hour at time without the governor being disengaged? I'm trying to think how he could have access without blowing himself up.

 

[Stephen Hants]

I was given similar advice about the cooker with respect to using oil for cooking. I decided the measure was a bit to extreme so just removed the cooking oil and replaced it with a spray. I based my decision after discussing with other family members and making a judgement about how dangerous it would be knowing my mother. There maybe a time when I have to shut off the gas but I think they were being over cautious at the time. I think cooking oil is a serious fire risk - I'm not sure cooking toast is. As for tablets we were given a box with a combination which the carers and a few other people know. It's been fairly foolproof. Most of the cooking reheating is done in the microwave now anyway. I'm sure in my mothers case she may forget she's cooking bacon or something but the smell of burning will warn her like it does everyone else.

 

[CraigC]

Hi sarah,

Just my experience but we just had a similar problem with a neighbour and after going in his house to find the hob on and a jumper drapped over a chair right next to the gas fire I did feel a little uncomfortable. He was very confused and had been out walking the street.

Difficult one. He has central heating but will never turn it on (not that I blame him after the last gas bill we had) and it would be difficult for him to learn how to use a new device.

But now he has a carer in twice a day I think the isolation switch is the way to go (they can help cook meals) at least for the cooker. Think the gas fire must go for his own safety and the heating goes on timer. Its so difficult taking away anything that has been around for a long time, but ultimately gas is very dangerous.

If the gas is staying in, make sure there are a couple of carbon monoxide detectors in house, that would be my top priority.

Here is a great site that lists and links to gadgets for people with dementia. Met the guy who runs it and he's put a lot of work and care into the site. Its called 'at Dementia'.

I met the guy who set up this site and he's put a lot of work and care into it:

http://www.atdementia.org.uk/default.asp

They have a good search facility. Just put in 'gas cooker' under the keyword to see what I mean.

http://www.atdementia.org.uk/productSearch.asp?search=go

Lots of interesting devices there including something called hob angel which I saw at a show. This hob can be set on a timer so gas in only available at certain times of the day.

Anyway, not sure how helpful this is, just worth checking all avenues.

Kind Regards
Craig

 

[terry999]

If the gas cooker is an old appliance that can let gas out without gas being alight then gotta be changed.

The problem is (can only go on my experience) if I had put an electrical hob in for my mum.

a) She wouldn't know how to learn to use it.
b) Its not a flame and would be afraid she would try and touch orange disc.

Sufferers find it almost impossible to learn new stuff.

My top tip would be to get this work done when illness is first stage so can get them used to new equipment. But hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

[sarah c]

thanks for the replies everyone, it has given me food for thought etc.

I know the carers always ask Dad if they can cook him a meal and he always refuses, and I have thought about electric oven etc, but again, he struggles using the microwave as his needed replacing a few months ago, and despite getting the simplist one I could, he cant work out how to use it..

We have a keysafe outside the house, and I am opting for moving the key there to start with and see how we go

fingers crossed

 

[Bookworm]

caution

Microwaves - a little story to add a note of caution - quite funny but could have been more serious - came home a few days ago to find as I entered kitchen my son was opening door of microwave having cooked a chunk of Christmas pudding for 2 minutes - as he opened the door it ignited. He dashed for the fire extinguisher - I (years of fire training for work) calmly closed the door - which worked really well. In that few moments the smoke was billowing all over the room - took a few days to clear the smell.

Sadly my husband did not notice the odd smell at all - which is just another piece of evidence something is wrong.....