Getting older is daunting. From greying hair to wrinkles and forgetting where you parked the car. Jokes aside aging does bring unique health issues. Seniors account more than 12 percent of the world population. It will increase to 22% by 2050.
There are various preventive measures to help your loved ones towards healthy aging. Aging brings in difficulties in the ease of living. Seniors particularly above the age of 65 face issues inability to think, learn and remember. This may lead to forgetting to eat. (malnutrition). Inability to use complicated devices. Sensory impairments like vision, hearing or dexterity (Inability to use touch-pads). They are also prone to injuries and hence should avoid too much of movement.
Are you concerned about the well being and safety of your aging parents or grandparents? Who are living all alone…
Here are the things that you need to consider when buying a Microwave for the elderly.
Intimidating controls are a NO go. Look at minimal buttons, settings, and options. Stay away from microwave ovens that make everything confusing. Complicated controls add to confusion and frustration. That’s why Dial control is the first qualification criteria. Microwaves with turn knobs ease operation even with dexterity and vision impairment.
Large, easy to read print with lots of contrast is on priority. Big bold black prints on white are preferred.
Avoid bulky machines. Something at least big enough to hold a dinner plate is good.
Push button latches are a definite NO. It is tough on seniors with sensory impairment and only adds to the frustration. Go for that old PULL handle that is prominent and rugged. Note- Pull strength is easier for the seniors than fragile fingers on delicate touch-pads.
Auto shut off is a great safety feature for the elderly. They shut down automatically in-case forgotten or once the task is complete.
Seniors need to know that their food is ready. Particularly important that they are reminded to take out food and consume.
When talking of Microwave for seniors the first thing you should ensure is that they have it safe and easy to use. This will make preparing meals easy thing for them. Since electric hobs and induction devices are a bit complex. It would be difficult for elderly people to use them. This makes a simple meal preparation difficult.
When it comes to simple, quick, and easy meal preparations… Nothing beats the versatility and effectiveness of a microwave. Equipped with various menu options, these devices cook with the touch of a button. This makes cooking a pleasant experience for all ages. (Needless to mention cooking without using naked flame or fire)
Microwave cooking is the best alternative for cooking/reheating food for seniors. It offers simple hassle-free cooking. But Microwaves come in the advanced and progressive devices. What we want to do is look at microwave ovens that best fit the bill for seniors
They should also have various inbuilt features that are simple and make them easy to use. These units with basic features of cooking and reheating are effective. No wonder seniors love them (and you) for their simple controls and easy settings.
So, here are some of the easiest and simplest microwave ovens. These are the best-fit design. Lets talk about Microwave ovens for seniors.
- Simple and easy to use dial control knob
- No rotating turntable and the rotating ring. (Ingenious hidden rotating antenna and offers safe usage.)
- Dial control knob instead of push buttons
- Absence of turntable and rotating ring,
- Easy go and grab the door handle
- Easy to clean interiors, and
- Pleasuring chime when the task is complete
Daewoo KOR6L15 Manual Microwave Oven, 700 Watt, 20 Litre
(Available in U.K Only)
Remember seniors are less independent and might have issues consuming food.
Consider Microwave food storage tray containers. They are microwave sectional trays with lid. They may be used as dinner plates or for storage with lids in the refrigerator. Needless to say they are unbreakable.
Also there are a whole range of utensils from Sammons Preston that fit the bill of old and elderly.
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I appreciate your page concerning seniors and microwaves. Out particular concern isn’t addressed and I wondered if you may have some helpful information. We have turned off the breakers for the oven and stove for her safety, but now she’s had an incident of setting the wrong time on the microwave to the point that there was smoke in the house. She only uses it for pre-made meals, popcorn or to warm coffee. Is there a microwave available with only short time settings so she can’t make this mistake? Or could we have a microwave altered for this?
Hey Tina…
Please check this out http://amzn.to/1YqtV2Q.
This is a link to Panasonic NE-102F microwave oven, especially designed for elders. The device has just one knob, no buttons, that acts as a timer.
All it requires is to just open the door, insert food, and spin the timer (knob) to 10, 20, 30 seconds… or from 1 through 6 minutes. It doesn’t have any start button, it just comes on when you set the time, and starts counting down. I hope this helps. Please let me know if it solves your problem.
That would certainly be easier to work, but we’re hoping to find one that won’t run more than a few minutes. It’s really hard to anticipate what the next problem will be these days. The microwave really is her last thread to independence and we want so much for her to keep that. I wrote to General Electric and asked them if perhaps in their service department they could modify the microwave to only use the beverage and popcorn button, but they said they could not. Thank you for your suggestions.
Oh, I re-read your microwave again and realize that I mis-understood the picture. I thought it went up to 6 hours and it’s only 6 minutes! That’s perfect! Thank you!! Thank you!!