Can anyone recommend

[Rhillew]

Hello there. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good toaster to buy. My Aunt has started burning her toast. We have meals on wheels for her but she loves to have toast for her evening meal. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[MartinWL]

Product endorsement is frowned upon here but in any case I doubt there is much difference between different brands as far as dementia patients are concerned. Get a good quality toaster that reliably pops up when the bread is toasted. Also try to get bread that fits easily in the slot as if it is too big it may get stuck.

 

[nitram]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good toaster to buy. My Aunt has started burning her toast.

All toasters have a variable browning control to allow for personal preference, also type of bread, slice thickness, and whether frozen or not need to be catered for.

If you aunt only uses one type of bread you may be able to make some kind of upper limit stop using bits of plastic and cyanoacrylate glue on the outside of the toaster - be prepared for any visible modification to be forcefully attacked with any handy implement!

 

[Rhillew]

Product endorsement is frowned upon here but in any case I doubt there is much difference between different brands as far as dementia patients are concerned. Get a good quality toaster that reliably pops up when the bread is toasted. Also try to get bread that fits easily in the slot as if it is too big it may get stuck.

Thank you

 

[Shedrech]

hello @Rhillew
a warm welcome to DTP

it's fine for members to suggest a possible toaster (however, recommendations of care services are not allowed)

I'd be looking for a toaster that 'pings' the toast up well above the top surface, so your aunt doesn't go fishing for it ... one which is as simple as possible with large, easy to use 'handles/switches' so there's nothing fiddly to do ... has auto shut-off ... maybe try as many friends' toasters as you can to see if any fit the bill

 

[Bunpoots]

Hi @Rhillew welcome from me too

Just another thought - perhaps it would be better to avoid plastic toasters if fire is a risk.

The one I have has buttons on the front to alter the browning settings and a lever on the side to push down to toast the bread. It would be possible to tape over the buttons to disguise them and stop the toaster being turned up too high.

 

[Duggies-girl]

Sometimes some of these buttons or knobs can be removed for cleaning like the knobs on cookers so you can set them at the appropriate setting then they can be taped over with a similar colour tape.

 

[northumbrian_k]

Hi @Rhillew and welcome to DTP. Most toasters allow for a range of settings from very lightly done through to high enough to do crumpets, for example. This can be challenging to get right even without dementia. Your Aunt may just put the toaster onto a setting that is too high then not make the connection between that and the burnt offering that results. She may not realise the toast has popped and put it on a second time. She might possibly be distracted and forget about it. Trying to limit the range in some way might work. I would still worry about the potential risk of fire if bread gets left in the toaster or there is a build up of crumbs. I am not sure if there are toasters that have an automatic cut out function if they are getting too hot.

Another option would be to interest your Aunt in an alternative food ("so much better than toast") that doesn't need any preparation. My choice of late night snack is oatcakes with cheese but there are many other things that could be tried.

 

[Jale]

Some toasters are also sold as coolwall toasters so they would probably be worth looking at from a safety point of view, also be aware that your Aunt may try and put a knife in the top, or try and turn it upside down to get the toast out whilst it was cooking (mum did it only once and we had to remove the toaster)