Curious Question

KristinaB

KristinaB

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I was wondering since I recently lost all of my hearing. My mother lives with us and all along this has not been a problem, but since she is in hospital for last month and due to go to nursing home for next 4 weeks, I need a little assistance.

Is there something I could do to make it so that I know when the washing machine and dryer are finished? I can't hear the buzzers, and my kids are no help at all. I know about doorbell lights and things like that and I have a flashing phone (3 of them). But I am having problems with the washer, dryer, oven timer and microwave timer. What do you do about appliances? I live in a mobile home so some things aren't easy to do like doorbells. I gave up cell phones since I don't want a contract (couldn't get approved) and can't hear what I have. Driving, I am ever vigilant with my mirrors and windows. I just need a little help. :hmm:

I am rigging up a little switch on a cord to a lightbulb. It will run from my mother's bed and her bathroom to my living room and my bedroom. That way if she needs me, she can flip a switch or press a button and I will know. Kind of like a hospital call light. Getting basic equipment from Radio Shack.
 
Here is the numbers and link to get some answers to your questions. I hope they help you. Just type in the web address below and see if they have any ideas. Best of luck to you.

Voice: 1-800-881-4327 . TTY: 1-800-281-3555
Fax: 631-752-0689 Video Phone: 1-631-752-1145

www.hearmore.com go to household and click there
 
If I read right, your only question you have not figured out on your own is the washer and dryer?

I know how long they take to run, and it is very simple to check what time I put the clothes in. At the appropriate time I go attend to them. All that is required is a watch or a clock.

I did not actually know anyone could hear them running.
 
What about feeling the washer and dryer? When there is no light on them and you will probably see them move on the knob that will indicate that the clothes in the washer and dryer are finish. Like Bottesini said that you can use a watch or clock to time the washer and dryer. Microwave always have light in it. As for timer, you just have to feel it or just see the mark on the timer goes to zero. The question is are you blind that you can not see what the appliances are doing their work when you need to know if they are done or not. If you are blind and deaf, then that is a difficult one to answer that. Only way is to feel it, I guess. Timers stop making vibration meaning it stop and so is Microwave too. Everything that operates always make vibrations. Hope that helps. ;)
 
Bottesini said:
If I read right, your only question you have not figured out on your own is the washer and dryer?

I know how long they take to run, and it is very simple to check what time I put the clothes in. At the appropriate time I go attend to them. All that is required is a watch or a clock.

I did not actually know anyone could hear them running.
Click to expand...

I agree...being deaf all of my life, I must have developed an innate sense of checking on the appliances visually. No problems here with the appliances so I dont know if there are any strobe lights that can be connected to the appliances alerting the consumers.
 
I've also recently lost all of my hearing just earlier this summer, and I feel I've adapted well. Others on this forum may disagree due to some of the silly questions I've asked, but perhaps I can help using my fresh experience. Somebody already suggested using the clock. I use the clock with almost everything now, including the oven, stove, microwave, toaster, rice maker, washer, dryer.. When I first turn on the dryer or washer, I put my hand on it to make sure it's vibrating. Otherwise, I can't tell if I've successfully turned it on. Then, I check the time and return after it's due to be finished.

My toilet often needs to be double-flushed (hahahaha), so I put my hand on the lid. The lid vibrates briefly when the toilet is done flushing. If I put my foot on the faucet valve under the toilet, I can feel it vibrating until the tank is full.

I do most of my baking in the biggest toaster oven I've yet found. This is because if I lose track of time, the timer on the toaster oven will turn it off, whereas the regular oven will just beep for all eternity and continue to burn my food until I smell it burning. The toaster oven has a light on the front of it that turns off when the timer reaches zero, and at that time, the oven turns itself off so the food will stop baking.

My rice cooker has a light on the front of it that is red while it's cooking and green when it's finished.

My coffee maker has a red light on when it's on.

My dishwasher has lights on it that tell what stage it's on and when it's finished.

My slow cooker has no light nor vibration when it's on. I just check to ensure the knob is in the right position and give it time to heat up or cool down, then use my hand to feel how warm it is.

Um, most of this is about the kitchen. Sorry, that just happens to be my favourite room in the house all my life. I'm sure you've figured out a lot of this already, but just thought I'd mention everything I could think of.

Oh yeah, thought of one more thing. I use a DIGITAL light timer as an alarm clock (the electromechanical kind with the round green knob thing on them don't keep time accurately enough). I keep my bedroom as dark as night, and have a light plugged into the timer. If it's critical that I must wake up on time, earlier than usual, I also plug in a vibrating pad and tuck it under my mattress pad on top of my mattress. I know they sell deaf alarm clocks, but I'm a RadioShack cheapskate sometimes.

I spent all my life looking for a lawn mower that wouldn't vibrate the blood out of my hands while I'm using it, and I finally found one, and promptly went deaf. Fortunately, it has a light on the handle that is on when the mower is working, and a trip button that pops up when the blades are stuck. I can't see the light if I'm in the sun, but I can tell the lawn mower is working since the grass behind me is shorter than the grass in front of me :rofl:

Okay, I think I've said WAY MORE than you wanted, so I'll stop writing :)
 
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