I care for a gentleman who has Dementia. He uses a microwave to heat drinks and food. The problem is he always heats on high for several minutes. I'm afraid he's going to burn himself. Not to mention food items boiling over. Has anyone come across a very simplified microwave?
It sounds like the microwave should be removed. Speak with his family.
I did find this information. There is mention of an available microwave that is smart, but there are many features, probably quite expensive.
https://thekitchenprofessor.com/blog/dementia-friendly-microwave
Some people recommend ones with dials instead of buttons but in my opinion people are even more likely to crank a dial too far than they are to press the wrong buttons.
I would look for something with simple quick buttons and mark them so that they stand out - for example my panasonic has one touch option for 1 - 6 minutes and a preset meal button, I would put a large bright sticker over 2 minutes (for beverages) and the meal button.
(I used puffy fabric paint to help my visually impaired mother use her microwave, but she didn't have dementia)
Very good idea to make it simple with minimal obvious options.
My MIL used a microwave most of her adult life and eventually mild dementia plus memory impairment made her completely forget what the appliance was for. In the end, altering the microwave is "something new" which means your guy may not "learn" it, no matter how simplified. Let us know if any of the suggestions work for him!
I had a dial microwave for over 20 yrs. I would look into them. They are simpler to operate and I would get a low voltage one.
I knew a couple where she had Dementia. One day she put brand new hearing aides in the microwave. When her husband asked her why she did it, she said to warm them up.