Saturday 9 May 2009

'E's doin' ...

... me 'ead in!! Dad, that is. He decided he wanted to learn how to use the microwave 'cos "your Mum would never show me!". Now, knowing Dad and knowing Mum I could make a pretty good guess as to why she wouldn't show him, prefering to do it herself. I can just see her saying 'no, it's OK, it'll be quicker for me to do it!' and ..... she had a point *LOLOL*

I've spent all week showing Dad how to use the microwave. We've made sure he's had a suitable meal for each day (not a lot of choice at the mo anyway 'cos his cooker went to a new home last week) and I've been getting him doing them himself - or not! Firstly he has trouble seeing the instructions on the packaging and he also has trouble seeing the numbers etc on the microwave itself but his main problem is grasping the concept of minutes and seconds - *bless* It's a digital microwave so the seconds need to be input as well and that is where the main problem lies. I can't make him understand that he's got to add 00 to the whole number or 30 to the whole number for ½ a minute. He has done his own meal everyday but only because I've been with him and ended up telling him exactly what to do. There's very little he's actually remembered for himself.

He's having a day off tomorrow and I'm going to show him an alternative way on Monday. Thought it may be easier to use 'Quick Start' as I thought it was just doubling the number - which he can do if it doesn't involve doubling a number with a ½ in it - and then pressing the Start button that number of times however, I've looked at the instruction book and ............... it's not that easy! I'm not confident, with what I've found, that he will manage the alternative method as he's got to do a little sum. Still, we'll give it a go but I've warned him that if he doesn't understand or remember this then he's gonna have to give up the idea of using the microwave himself! Also asked him if he now understood why Mum wouldn't show him. She'd have lost patience with him - and she knew it. He said he did understand and said he was trying. Can't disagree with that one (in more ways than he meant *LOL*) I'm hoping that, if he joins in with the social side at his new home, we will see an vast improvement in him from the memory side - he's spent so many years not using his brain that he finds new things really hard ..... and 'old' things as well, come to that!

Ballon flight - 3rd booking this year - yesterday. Didn't happen! Too windy and have to say it was blowing a hooley! Am I ever gonna do this blooming flight? I reckon I must have the record for the most number of times somebody has booked and hasn't flown .............. *doh*

I've just downloaded some piccies from my camera - of the card I made at the Glitterpot in Gaynors class on Thursday and of a bit of countryside I drive through on my way there and back. Need to find another suitable place to stop next time I go 'cos I passed a llama farm - never realised it was there - and would love to get a piccie of the llama herd(?). I'll upload some of the piccies some time soon ....

Thanks for dropping by .....


UPDATE - Sunday evening 10th May: Thanks for the input everyone. Checked Argos yesterday - and Comet and Tesco etc etc - and the one that would be within his budget in Argos (the cheapest *LOL*) isn't in stock anywhere in our area but - we've swapped the microwave with youngest son's. They wanted a digital and had a manual so this afternoon we swapped. Let the fun begin tomorrow - *lol*

3 comments:

Trish said...

Hi Pam,
I was wondering if it was at all possible to get dad a non-digital microwave, then he might have more success and you less frustration. It's just a suggestion.
Best wishes for the final move,
Trish

Sue said...

Good luck with your Dads move Pam.Good idea Trish,not sure wher you would get one though.
Sue

Helen said...

Argos have 8 different manual microwaves, if that's any help.
Helen