Central heating clock / timer

[Acceber]

Hi. Can anyone recommend a central heating clock brand/type which is super simple to use and clearly visible for my mum with early dementia. Thanks.

 

[Bunpoots]

Welcome to Dementia Talking Point @Acceber

If your mum is getting confused about the central heating controls it is doubtful that she would be able to manage a new controller - no matter how simple.

My dad was always a very able and practical man but he forgot how to use his thermostat and one day my daughter got to his house to find it freezing cold. Her grandad was trying to dismantle the gas boiler ? .

I asked an electrician to fit a tamper-proof thermostat which worked a treat and we didn’t arrive every morning to find the house freezing because he’d turned the thermostat right down or boiling because he’d turned it right up!

 

[Sarasa]

My mother never learned how to set the thermostat on her boiler, and as every time I tried to do it, she stood by me twittering on about how hard it was and that the gas engineer couldn't do it, so I a mere woman and her daughter to boot certainly couldn't, I gave up trying. She managed for a year or two switching it on and off as needed until we got to the stage she needed to be in a care home.
I tried mum with various 'simple' things for other stuff she was struggling with and none of them worked. She either couldn't get it however simple it was or thought I was patronising her.
The most straightforward thing is probably to set it up how it should be and then make it tamper proof. To do that you'll probably need someone to distract your mum while it is happening.

 

[Pete1]

Hi @Acceber, perhaps you could look at getting a Smart Thermostat fitted that would allow you to remotely control and regulate Mum's heating? That might be the best solution as what Mum is able to manage this week might not apply in two months time. All the best.

 

[Bunpoots]

You can buy a clear cover to stop people messing with the thermostat but my dad would’ve broken his way into that so I opted for a new thermostat with an opaque cover. I’ve seen on the forum that some people have had a new thermostat fitted in a hidden location and the old one disconnected so that the PWD can fiddle to their hearts content and it won’t affect the heating.

It’s really a case of what you think would work best for your mum.

I found that leaving my dad control of the heating was a disaster as he didn’t have a clue what to do. He understood it perfectly one day then just didn’t anymore. All he had was a simple dial to turn..

 

[canary]

The heating thermostat was a nightmare. Mum had lived on her own in her bungalow for nearly 30 years and knew exactly how to operate the heating controls and then suddenly she started saying that they were broken. I got heating technicians round there and they all said that it was working perfectly. Turned out that mum had completely forgotten what to do and was either turning the heating right up, or turning it right down, or, indeed, switching the whole thing off. She was also convinced that the the thermostat controlled some sort of burglar alarm (she didnt have one). I didnt manage to get anything tamperproof organised as she wouldnt let anyone into her home, but I think that would have been the only way to stop her.

 

[Lynmax]

We ended up installing a Hive system which my sister controlled from her phone. The old thermostat was disconnected but left in the hall for mum to play with. Worked a treat!

 

[Acceber]

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories and advice. I’m going to do as you suggest and keep what’s here now and label up and cover some switches and leave notes for the Carers. Fingers crossed...