Unplugging coffee maker by pulling on cord, not plug

LittleVolcano

Mom (PWD) makes coffee every morning and for whatever reason now unplugs the coffee maker when she's done. In and of itself that's not a problem, but she's unplugging it by pulling on the cord (unsafe!) and not by pulling out the plug.

Any thoughts what to do here? Dad wants to just take away the coffee maker, but it's one of the few things Mom gets to do (make the morning coffee), so I personally would like her to keep that part of her life (but I understand that eventually it's all going to need to be taken away from her for safety reasons). 

Anyone have any advice on how Mom can keep making the morning coffee and not electrocute herself? (I joke because if I don't, I'll die)

SusanB-dil

Is it a newer coffee-maker?  Probably not the best thing for it (nor any cord), but since it is just a small appliance, pulling it out by the cord shouldn't really hurt it, unless it is being twisted as pulled, or it is not in great shape.

Marta

Mom can still make coffee but needs to be supervised, just as she needs to be supervised when using any potentially dangerous thingamajing. Look beyond the coffee pot.

BassetHoundAnn

There are lots of battery-powered coffee makers out there. Google and lots come up. Don't know whether your mom is capable of learning how to use a new appliance at this point, but it might be worth a short. 

About two years ago my mom got to the point where she was unplugging lamps and appliances by jerking their cords out of the socket rather than turning them off. I took away the coffee maker and microwave because she no longer had the mental capacity to use them. 

At the same time she lost the ability to use wall switches to turn lights on and off. 

I kept a close watch on the lamp cords for signs of wear and fraying. I added large switches to the lamps and also to their cords which I thought my mom would be capable of using. But she wasn't. I replaced the lamp cord on her favorite lamp with a super-thick, super-strong cord that wouldn't fray if she kept jerking it out of the socket and so far it's held up, though I check it daily.   

Losing the ability to use lamps and appliances safely is just one step in the long awful decline of dementia. 

harshedbuzz

Operating electronics and appliances is an IADL- these tend to fade before the ADLs do. It sounds as if she'll need supervision and/or support to continue to do this task for herself. 

You could babyproof the outlet in hopes that this deters her, but I suspect she'd just tug harder.

Amazon.com : Dreambaby Dual Fit Outlet Plug Cover - Model L907 - Electrical Socket Guard for Standard and Decora (2 Pack), White : Baby

toolbeltexpert

The only thing I can think of is putting a piece of yellow electrical tape on the part of the plug that you use to pull it. Maybe that will give her a visual clue. Your right about not pulling the cord. You want to make sure it's not getting hot on the part of the plug you use to pull it out. It may always be a little warm but hot means it wires inside are breaking. I had to replace the plug on the toaster cause dw noticed it getting hot, I don't know if she was doing what you described, the plug I replaced it with is bright yellow and 1 inch around hard to miss.

Just  a side note. Someone had made the comment about pwd have loose wires that sometime make connection, for me that was a good analogy, I just want to add to it. When the wires are loose things get hot and sometimes sparks fly.  I have found this a good analogy for my dw at times. I have a technical background. Your a good caregiver LV.

Cosmic

Sorta the same around this house. Wife seems to hate long electrical cords so she twists and knots them to make them shorter. On the unplugging side, it's not all that bad. They are far enough away from any electricity so even if the cord pulls apart or away from the plug itself it will more than likely trip a circuit breaker and there will be no chance of shock. Replacement plugs are cheap at the local hardware stores, just screw the wires on.

Just maybe they pull the plug because they forgot how to turn it off. I solved this problem with a bottle of white liquid paper (any store with school supplies). Slightly painted the on/off switches with white marker so she knows where the switch is. She can still use appliances so that's a good thing. On our microwave I took the liquid paper and put two little dots on both sides of the "one minute" button with written instructions, that way she knows which button to push and it will only be for one minute. Eliminates all the confusion for her.

abc123

I would wrap the cord with a couple of layers of electrical tape. Starting where the cord comes out of the back of the appliance all the way to the plug. This will make the cord stronger for when she pulls on it and give it a couple layers of added protection. Just a thought.