I understand this dilemma. My mother has Alzheimers and she can no longer use the oven at all. (nor the dishwasher as she began overflowing it too much and it damaged the floor. My father has dementia due to high blood pressure/micro strokes, but his forgetfulness just declined and then stayed steady once we got his diet and health under control His forgetfulness is MUCH different than my mother’s so I’m not sure if your grandmother’s forgetfulness will continue to decline and at what rate. But I can tell you what we have done for my mother
We now have it so that a counter like top goes over the oven when it’s not in use (and it’s locked). Before we would just it shut off at a main when there is not 100% supervision for her. She ended up forgetting the stove was even there. As she was digressing, we had a electrician come in so that we could shut off the stove at a secret switch. Then she actually started putting weird things in the microwave that ended up catching on fire! Never even knew that could happen. We do have a hot plate for cooking but it is put away after family or a caregiver is done cooking on it as she began putting odd things on the hot plate too. She started putting food directly on it to fry it or something.
But what we do have now are have ready made meals/snacks available to her that she can get from the fridge. Luckily my mom loves salads and fresh foods. There is also a secret fridge in the garage that my mother doesn’t know about, where foods that can be cooked are placed. And nothing in the fridge she has access to has things it that we know she would consider cooking. (though now, it’s been long enough, she doesn’t even think about it). She has a hot breakfast, lunch and dinner made my family or a caregiver. My mother’s diet is also restricted because my dad has a whole host of problems that your grandmother does. Major diet restrictions. I would talk to your grandmother’s doctor and ask if there are dieticians that may help educate on meals that can be made fresh/cold during the times your mother is not there. Many times this can be covered by medicare if the doctor orders this education. If not, check with the Alzheimers association.
But it sounds like you are in one of the difficult stages of her not totally forgetting and her still having a desire to cook etc, but yet not able to 100% safely do it. The hot plate may be a temporary option, but I do caution, from experience, that if she is digressing, then you are not sure what someone will forget next, or you can’t even fathom what off the wall thing they may actually try. (like doing laundry in the dishwasher or putting icecream in the oven) And with EMT a half hour a way, that’s scary. So it’s definitely something to monitor carefully. Would she be fine with home-made ready foods to eat? Like a salad with chicken, fresh turkey sandwich. Just some of her unheated favorites?
Anyway, I hope you are able to find something that works. I know this stage of a loved-one forgetting, but they want to do the things that they normally do and have independence with small things is very tricky navigation.
Our family is lucky have 10 hours of paid caregiving/per day as my mother has Long Term Health Insurance, but that will actually run out in a year,(that’s how much of the LTH works) and we are now forced to sell off their property, and their IRA will also diminish when the insurance runs out as she is at a stage where she cannot be home alone at all..ever. However, you should check out medicaid if your grandmother does not have much saved or in property. I remember discussions of them being more open to covering home care as it can be cheaper in some ways when family is also involved. Also, I know you said you are out in the boonies, but check for resources in your state for elderly care, like the Alzheimer’s association. And some states actually give some allowances for family caring for their elderly parents. It really varies so start checking out resources and hopefully something will be helpful.
Care giving for a parent is extremely stressful and overtime as the parent/grandparent declines it can really wreak havoc the caregivers health. I know they took care of us as kids, but it’s one thing to take care of a child, and it’s another to take care of a 140 pound adult, who has strong will power, but is losing cognitive abilities and memory. Most of the time explaining or teaching something new doesn’t work long-term and so the challenges are immense. It’s more about navigation rather than education. My mother can still read short notes and notes do help to remind her — but they have to be at the location of what she is supposed to be reminded of. In my mother’s case, she has notes on the doors — bathroom, bedroom, etc so she knows what rooms are for what. But before it digressed to that, I had notes to remind her how to use a microwave, or to turn something off. That did work for a little while. But man, those times where she was cognitive enough, yet losing her memory were BEYOND challenging for both parties. So I wish you all of the best! I know it’s not easy!
Anyway, I know I gave you way more than you asked for here….all you wanted was a hot plate recommendation!
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