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He has afib with a pacemaker that paces 99% of the time and is on blood thinner along with heart meds. When he had triple bypass a few years ago, he was on the bypass machine 6 hours and then a ventilator almost a week. He just hasn’t been the same.

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Yes. Leaving the stove on twice, along with memory issues and hearing deficits is enough to be worried about. Do not let him cook again, period. Make whatever excuse you need to, but keep him out of the kitchen. And make an appointment with his doctor stat. Your husband needs a cognition test which is short and simple, to see where he's at right now. Discuss your concerns with his doctor privately before the appointment, that's my advice.

Best of luck to you,
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Reply to lealonnie1
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I would say yes. What if you're not home and he does that. It's not worth the risk of a fire,

I took all the knobs off our stove because I found my husband didn't turn the knob far enough and gas was coming from the burner with no flame.
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Reply to HorseGal
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JanPeck123 Jul 11, 2025
Dear Horsegal, OMG. He could have accidentally gassed himself to death. You did the right thing.
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Unfortunately, this is the beginning of a one thing after another. My dad also had Afib and was on so many meds. His Dementia became worse. My dad left the stove on, left water running, left doors unlocked, left lights on, lost his glasses, lost his wallet, lost his keys, left car running, forgot to take his meds, lost his cane and etc. My mom had to follow my dad to make sure he didn't break things too. We had to replace a bathroom sink and toilet twice.
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Reply to Onlychild2024
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Extremely Concerned! Get him evaluated by his doctor. Forgetting about the stove is dangerous. If he doesn't have POA, see an attorney as soon as possible to set up his agents for legal backup. In the event he becomes incapacitated, an agent can act on his behalf for his care. From what I now gather here, your husband may require 24 hour supervision.
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Reply to Patathome01
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Patathome01 Jul 10, 2025
Makes no sense my answer goes without a vote. Why is my answer not good advice??

Get your father evaluated by his doctor for normal vs abnormal behavior.

A timer can be set to remind the cook that food is done. But an impaired person may have no judgment and forget that and perhaps other things.
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Most definitely be concerned. It seems he's starting to mentally deteriorate and this will only get worse with time. The brain is short circuiting and this will lead to falling also. Time to childproof what you can,block off staircases, too. My mother used to rely on her small microwave on the counter for heating things up. I hope hubby isn't driving,scrapes and dents are the signs of impairment, too. I feel sad for you as you're transitioning from wife to caregiver,it must have been hard after the triple bypass. Come back if you need anything! There's really helpful people here, great support!
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Reply to JuliaH
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Pbit100: Yes, you should be very concerned. Thank goodness you noticed that he left the stove on! He needs a doctor appointment posthaste.
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Reply to Llamalover47
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It could be a concern.
It might not be anything to worry about.
When I moved in with the man I would marry 1 of his pans had odd "stain" in the bottom of the pan. I asked him about them. He had been watching a ball game and forgot he put a pan of potatoes on the stove...until he smelled them. All the water had boiled out.
Another time he left the coffee pot on all day. When I got home from work all I could smell was burned coffee.
These were both the type of thing I would call forgetful or maybe careless but nothing to worry about memory wise.
I have accidently left the oven on. Again nothing I worry about.

Has he had any other memory related issues?
Forgetting dates, appointments, forgetting how to get from one place to another? (without using GPS)

Have you mentioned your concern about his memory to him? What is his response?
Have you mentioned your concern to his doctor? This you should do.
There are tests that the doctor can do. Or refer your husband to a Neuropsychologist for testing.

If this is a concern you can trip the breaker so the stove will not work. Down side you have to reset it if you want to cook. You could have an electrician put a switch so that you can shut the stove off. Limit his use to the microwave.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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cover9339 Jul 10, 2025
What if he accidently sets the microwave for 1 hour when the food only needed 5 minutes to heat?
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Ahh...Duh...of course you should be concerned. Or are you waiting for strike 3 before you choose to do something about it, or for him to burn your house down?
Your husband obviously now has some form of dementia, and needs to be diagnosed. And sadly folks with hearing issues are at a high risk for getting dementia along with folks with heart issues.
He should no longer be left alone, and certainly not left alone in the kitchen, as he will only continue to get worse.
So time to educate yourself more about this horrific disease, so you will better prepared for what is to come in the future.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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Kartyjb Jul 10, 2025
Please be kinder in your reactions to people’s questions. What may seem obvious to you doesn’t warrant “Ahh…Duh…Of course”.
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This devise makes it so he can't use the stove

https://iguardfire.com/

Sorry, I just read it won't be available till the Fall. Maybe you can find something similar.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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Maybe he should not be in the kitchen all together, with the sharp utensils, knives, forks, etc. He could accidently cut himself with a knife if he did not handle it correctly for example; if there is a blender and/or food processor, that could be of concern as well.
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TouchMatters Jul 10, 2025
Yes, more along the lines of what I just wrote. Anything could happen in the kitchen in extreme adverse ways / behaviors. Don't wait until something happens. Must do some preventative measures now. Gena
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