Too Much Coffee

I can fully appreciate where you are coming from now EL, as my gran was also partially sighted (she'd lost about 80% towards the end) for about the last 20 years of her life (mainly due to glaucoma). She had all kinds of gadgets to help her do simple things that most of us would take for granted, like being able to pour just the right amount of water into a cup.
Essentially we're looking for a machine here for a specific job with a somewhat unique set of circumstances, rather than focusing on the quality of the cup (which tends to be the case around here).

I wonder whether people might be able to offer other suitable suggestions, given your requirements above, now that you've provided us with more detail. It would probably be best if it was fairly tough and relatively cool to the touch too, I would think. Ideas anyone?

Isn't the Melitta brewer using a thermos pot? It says "thermal carafé" but not "double-walled" like in some of the other brewer models' product texts. I would guess that it isn't piping hot, anyway.

I like the softened-up-industrial look of the Melitta. Looks like it actually is a professional product, not just junk.
A nice addition to such a machine would be one of those dedicated drip brew grinders, which grinds straight into the filter. Then on the other hand, she would need to buy whole bean coffee, perhaps not her cup of tea?

zix wrote:Isn't the Melitta brewer using a thermos pot? It says "thermal carafé" but not "double-walled" like in some of the other brewer models' product texts. I would guess that it isn't piping hot, anyway.

I like the softened-up-industrial look of the Melitta. Looks like it actually is a professional product, not just junk.
A nice addition to such a machine would be one of those dedicated drip brew grinders, which grinds straight into the filter. Then on the other hand, she would need to buy whole bean coffee, perhaps not her cup of tea?

Hi - and thanks for the observations.
I didn't get any responses on here giving first-hand user experience of this machine, but went ahead and ordered one anyway, largely on the basis of the result of testing by the Norwegian Coffee Organisation - see here
http://www.kaffe.no/index.php?l=23&ls=28&h=254

The quality of the coffee the machine produced was as important as its usability for someone who is physically impaired. I was so impressed I ordered a second for myself, and it gets a lot of use when visitors are here in particular.

To answer a couple of your points:-
The carafe has a stainless steel housing, but has a glass thermos inside. It brews between 92 and 96 degrees (according to test) and takes between about 4 and 5 minutes (my timing).
It has a nice old fashioned feel about it and is very simple - no whistles and bells - but a lot of detailed thought has gone into it. E.g. the water shower is a good design that thoroughly soaks all of the coffee: the filter cover has holes to let the steam out, so there is no condensation to drip after brewing.
It isn't cheap though. Almost as much as a Technivorm, but having used both, I think the Melitta makes just as good coffee, and is simpler to assemble and use.
The idea of an integrated grinder for people like my Mom is a nice one, but I suspect the complications it could introduce would make it less manageable. I pre-portion ground coffee for her, and seal into plastic bags - not ideal, but an acceptable compromise. My Mom uses paper filters in hers, for convenienece. I use a "gold" filter that came with my old Bodum pour-over drip, and which fits perfectly.