unplugging everything

[cymbid]

Hi , my mum is 91 and still gets around (if unsteadily) She has fallen a few times and managed to shuffle to the landline to call my brother to get her up . She does have a phone in the livingroom , but unplugs it. She also unplugs lamps , her reclining chair, the tv at night (reaching down behind it) and will switch off the heating and not use the gas fire . We thought about getting her an alarm in case she falls but i knowshe will unplug it. Its not that she cant afford her bills . She certainly can . But is very tight with money. Ive purposely moved the gas smart meter display away as she got very agitated seeing the money registered on it when we put her heating on . Weve told her till were blue in the face, but she says " its just me"

 

[Kevinl]

Hello and welcome to the site cymbid.
Do you plug sockets with an on off switch on them?
My wife didn't like things being plugged in but I managed to get her to settle for seeing they're turned off, when she asked if that was enough, I said "it works for the room lights, or do you want me to go round and take out the bulbs out when we're not in the room?" She did seem to get it.
K

 

[canary]

You can get childproof covers to go over plug sockets which may help, but with mum the trigger for her trying to switch things off was the little light on the appliance to show that it was on/on standby. Covering all the lights with a bit of gaffer tape solved the issue.

I think its a throwback to the ritual I remember from my childhood of my dad going round and switching everything off and unplugging it before bed. Everybody did it then.

 

[Kevinl]

Get some small extension leads, plug them in at "ground zero" but screw the outlet side at waist height, to the wall so she doesn't have to bend to use the plugs.
K

 

[try again]

You can get childproof covers to go over plug sockets which may help, but with mum the trigger for her trying to switch things off was the little light on the appliance to show that it was on/on standby. Covering all the lights with a bit of gaffer tape solved the issue.

I think its a throwback to the ritual I remember from my childhood of my dad going round and switching everything off and unplugging it before bed. Everybody did it then.

Just about to suggest this 😁
We use them for worksurfaces and cats 🤢

 

[cymbid]

Get some small extension leads, plug them in at "ground zero" but screw the outlet side at waist height, to the wall so she doesn't have to bend to use the plugs.
K

we tried that , but she said the bottom plug was still on , so she just reached down and unplugged that too

 

[cymbid]

Just about to suggest this 😁
We use them for worksurfaces and cats 🤢

shes not daft, she knows if there is a cover on it . She just wants everything off. As its safer and not costing money

 

[canary]

She just wants everything off. As its safer and not costing money

Thats just how mum was, but it was the little light that told her that it was on, so she would hunt out the plug socket, even if it were hidden.

Try sticking a bit of gaffer tape over all the little LED lights and see if that works - its cheap and easy and if it doesnt work you havent lost much.