Furious!

[SEA SPRAY]

This morning I went to the spare freezer we keep in our garage - only to discover it had been unplugged and all the food thawed out. I've had to throw it all away. My husband had obviously unplugged it earlier this week to use the lawn mower! He doesn't remember doing it, of course, but it wouldn't have been anyone else!
He is still in the early stages of alzheimers and it never occurred to me that he would do anything so stupid!
Rant over.

 

[sapphire turner]

I have had to tape over important plugs, including the freezer and the plug for the broadband. My husband denies turning them off so it must be a poltergeist 😹
The tape seems to be working so far!

 

[MissFloopster]

Oh, SO familiar! Me too, I've been taping over plugs, sticking notes "Please do not touch" on stuff (only for them to be removed and settings changed). My husband also does not remember and/or the inevitable "wasn't me" (often followed by aggressive outburst). After a couple of years, I've - sort of - come to terms with it, as I realised it'd be better for MY health. Strange perhaps, but in a way I find it comforting to know that I'm not the only one with this situation.

 

[Galloping grannie]

Sadly, part of the learning process.Try black tape, it works a lot of the time for us. Also make sure you cover the plug for the phone.

 

[Alisongs]

This morning I went to the spare freezer we keep in our garage - only to discover it had been unplugged and all the food thawed out. I've had to throw it all away. My husband had obviously unplugged it earlier this week to use the lawn mower! He doesn't remember doing it, of course, but it wouldn't have been anyone else!
He is still in the early stages of alzheimers and it never occurred to me that he would do anything so stupid!
Rant over.

Yup. 300 pounds worth of food rotted last Summer here, exactly the same reason. I wasn't allowed in the garage as its an unholy mess thanks to husband's dementia and hoarding, and he kept on trying to mow the lawn. Freezer had been empty at the end of Lockdown. Lawn mower broke, I got a gardener in, got old lawnmower out to dispose of it and then found the unplugged, full, rotting freezer.... Husband had been removing stuff from the house freezer to get more stuff in, kept telling me he must have eaten what was there......i was furious and shed many bitter tears as I threw out stuff like poultry, cheeses and specialities bought in the run up to the previous Christmas. Especially as I had been made redundant before that Christmas. It was such a waste. Freezer now in garage, empty, plug hidden so he cannot plug it in and start again. He's much more demented now, so it's unlikely. Not risking it!

 

[BeeBeeDee]

I had exactly this happen a couple of months ago - he blamed it on me but it certainly wasn't. It was all lovely Marks & Spencers expensive stuff in there too - it is now unplugged and empty

 

[Alisongs]

A heads up re preventing unplugging. There are plug locks! Eg https://www.alzproducts.co.uk/socketsafe-lockable-plug-cover
Putting notes up with "Do not touch" may be counterproductive. An instruction puts emphasis on the last word..... So... Touch!.... which is why toddlers also tend to do what you don't want!

My husband's dementia clock is electric (whoever invented it didn't think it through) and the cord runs well away from it and the note on the plug says 'leave plugged in'. Same label on the cord and the back of the clock. And the plug is taped to the socket. It has a remote control concealed behind the clock, and a spare remote is tucked away

 

[LouiseK!]

This morning I went to the spare freezer we keep in our garage - only to discover it had been unplugged and all the food thawed out. I've had to throw it all away. My husband had obviously unplugged it earlier this week to use the lawn mower! He doesn't remember doing it, of course, but it wouldn't have been anyone else!
He is still in the early stages of alzheimers and it never occurred to me that he would do anything so stupid!
Rant over.

Same happened to me. I have tape over the switches what I don't want turning off. Sorry you had to go through this. So frustrating.

 

[Jan48]

Sadly, part of the learning process.Try black tape, it works a lot of the time for us. Also make sure you cover the plug for the phone.

Black tape does not work for me, it still manages to switch off. I told him whether he is stupid and the reason I have used black tape but soon forgets about it. So far has not switched off freezer.

 

[Jan48]

Oh, SO familiar! Me too, I've been taping over plugs, sticking notes "Please do not touch" on stuff (only for them to be removed and settings changed). My husband also does not remember and/or the inevitable "wasn't me" (often followed by aggressive outburst). After a couple of years, I've - sort of - come to terms with it, as I realised it'd be better for MY health. Strange perhaps, but in a way I find it comforting to know that I'm not the only one with this situation.

Thats exactly my husband behaviours. I was so stressed but am giving up. I was going to let him have no tv all day as he has switched the aerial booster at night despite telling him not to. We have got sky but he likes to watch freeview. He puts sky only watch premier league. I was going to be mean but now I just switch it back. He cannot see anything on standby by .

 

[canary]

He cannot see anything on standby by .

I found with mum that it was the little standby light that was the trigger for mum searching out the plug socket and switching off and unplugging it. I think it goes back to the days before fridges/freezers when everything had to be switched off and unplugged every night - I remember the night time ritual from when I was a teenager at home. So if mum thought that something was still on at night she would search out the plug socket where ever it was, ignoring any notes and removing any tape. I found that covering up any lights on the appliance, including the standby light, with a bit of gaffer tape did the trick, because she then didnt realise that it was on

 

[tonebear]

Have not had any of the turning off stuff. My piglet has never ( even when she was well ) understood the heating thermostat and she has bad circulation so is always cold. She will feel a rad and if it's cold ( even in summer) she will turn the thermostat up to at least 30c. When I start to sweat, I don't say anything ( what's the point) and go and turn it down. Tried last summer turning the heating off, but then got ,we'll have to call the heating man, Again and Again and Again,. Maybe if I pretend to fix it that will work ( i.e. turn it back on ) This trying to think round her all the time is exhausting.

 

[SEA SPRAY]

Thank you for your replies, everyone. It's comforting to know I am not alone!

 

[Alisongs]

Have not had any of the turning off stuff. My piglet has never ( even when she was well ) understood the heating thermostat and she has bad circulation so is always cold. She will feel a rad and if it's cold ( even in summer) she will turn the thermostat up to at least 30c. When I start to sweat, I don't say anything ( what's the point) and go and turn it down. Tried last summer turning the heating off, but then got ,we'll have to call the heating man, Again and Again and Again,. Maybe if I pretend to fix it that will work ( i.e. turn it back on ) This trying to think round her all the time is exhausting.

 

[Alisongs]

Dementia annd Parkinsons both affect your internal thermostat! Before diagnosis, my husband sweated in winter. Now he's too cold in Summer. Luckily he has always been careful with money (less so now) so he gets reminded of, and given, a blanket, a thick jumper and or one of those plush snoody things. Works well