Mum switching off phone and freezer

mogreig

Registered User
Dec 5, 2015
2
0
My mum has recently moved into very sheltered housing as her condition meant she was not remembering to eat and not able to cope with living in a big house alone. She has been switching off the phone at night and also switched off the freezer and lost some food. We have tried taping over the switches but she still manages to switch them off. My brother and I live more than a hundred miles away and I try to go home to her every six wks or so but I wondered if anyone had seen or heard of anything to cover the whole socket to prevent this.
 

fizzie

Registered User
Jul 20, 2011
2,725
0
My mum did similar and it turned out that she thought she was saving electricity. We managed to sort out the freezer problem by having the switch moved so that it sat inside a bottom cupboard in the kitchen and that worked. I'm not sure how to sort out the phone problem unless there is a chance of hiding that switch somewhere too. It wasn't expensive to do but it would be advisable to get someone to do it when she is out!!!!!! My mum used to remember the strangest things and I'm sure if she had seen it being moved she would have remembered !!!
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,081
0
Bury
This Safetots product is widely available, Tesco, Amazon, ....

Safetots_Universal_Single_Plug_Socket_Cover_1.jpg


http://www.safetots.co.uk/Safety-Es...iversal-Single-Socket-Cover/product_info.html

Also available to fit a double outlet.

It's released by squeezing so you may have to go to the considerably more expensive industrial safety ones using a key. I know of one cheap double outlet version using a key
http://www.alzproducts.co.uk/socketsafe-lockable-plug-cover.html
you could fit it over a single outlet by screwing to the wall - either one screw or both - instead of the socket. If you do this be careful as the regs allow a buried cable to be run horizontally with the socket.

EDIT

You could use a self tapping screw and large washer to prevent the release tab being pressed.
 
Last edited:

fizzie

Registered User
Jul 20, 2011
2,725
0
These are great for some people and definitely worth a try but when we tried it at first my Ma was able to access it and then she cried with frustration because she thought she had 'broken' the electricity supply and it was all just too frustrating for her.
 

mogreig

Registered User
Dec 5, 2015
2
0
My mum did similar and it turned out that she thought she was saving electricity. We managed to sort out the freezer problem by having the switch moved so that it sat inside a bottom cupboard in the kitchen and that worked. I'm not sure how to sort out the phone problem unless there is a chance of hiding that switch somewhere too. It wasn't expensive to do but it would be advisable to get someone to do it when she is out!!!!!! My mum used to remember the strangest things and I'm sure if she had seen it being moved she would have remembered !!!

Thank you for that .it's worth a try.