Sometimes it takes a close call to make you realise that living solo means taking extra care with daily tasks, otherwise, there could be nasty consequences. It was the foot-high orange flames from my toaster that forced me to rethink how I operated.
The previous day I baked the perfect loaf of bread. When it cooled, I used my electric knife in an attempt to slice my loaf like the packaged sliced bread we buy at the shops. Admittedly, I have never been a master slicer which means when I begin slicing It is the perfect thickness until I am about a third of the way down. Somehow the slice begins to widen and by the time I reach the crusty base, my slice looks like a slopped boat ramp, twice the width at the bottom compared to the top.
The next morning I placed my uneven slice of bread into my cheapie toaster. It had been cooking unevenly for a while and normally I keep an eye on it as one side burns quicker than the other. But this time, as I stood near the kitchen bench, my back to the toaster, I became fully engrossed in reading an article in my local magazine. I almost forgot about my bread in the toaster until I turned around. To my dismay, yellow flames were reaching out for the overhead kitchen cabinet. They almost made it! I didn’t hear or smell a thing.
My instincts immediately kicked in. I grabbed the cord and pulled the plug out of its socket. Flames still alive and well, I grabbed the hand towel to pick up the flaming toaster around its base, leaned over the kitchen sink and tipped the toaster upside down so the flaming bread fell out. I was lucky I was able to do that as the toaster wasn’t as hot as I anticipated and the flames manageable. I have a fire blanket on hand but didn’t need to use it. Consequently, I binned the toaster.
I am already aware that living solo means added diligence with daily behaviours and tasks. If things happen, there is no backup rescuer on hand. With this little scare, it was a good reminder to be more conscientious and avoid being caught up in the moment.
My physio suggested when I am researching or writing (and now reading) make it a common practice to set my phone timer for 20 minutes to keep me alert as well as to move my body. I didn’t think I needed to do this when toasting bread.
I wondered if there are toasters available that shut off automatically before the timer, should an incident occur, rather than wait for thick smoke to set off the house alarms when it is all too late.
Results: It was difficult to find a toaster to suit my needs in Australia. I ended up purchasing a toaster online from the UK although I needed a conversion plug. But it has an automatic shut- off button if burning occurs before the chosen level of toasting on the dial. Glass toasters have been available since 2010 and have been discovered to make a difference to elderly people. They can see the toast brown and have been known to reduce incidents of burning toast.
It also made me question how families cope with members who suffer from Alzheimer’s or Dementia without removing their independence.
Results: It is a big issue for families and this is how many say they deal with the situation; Setting the timer permanently on Low and then removing the knob, others use strong tape tocover the knob. Some remove the toaster from the home, or find a safety device such as lockable sockets that prevents the appliance from being turned on.
It was apparent on the Alzheimer/dementia chat sites, that carers couldn’t find toasters that were dementia friendly and finally removed the toasters. There came a time when their toasting days were over unless the carer was in attendance at the time.
On the positive side, there is emerging technology that allows relatives to keep an eye on the elderly or vulnerable by monitoring their electricity usage. Electricians can install a ‘gadget’ in their metre box. Family members can monitor the use of appliances on their mobile phones such as toasters, kettles and microwave ovens.
I can only imagine the difficulty for both the carer and the family members. Trying to maintain the balance of safety and independence, would be a huge challenge.
In the meantime, I will avoid reading with my back to the toaster. Since then I have a brand new shiny toaster that suits my needs and browns evenly on both sides.