Family Ensures Child Safety Thanks to Surestop

Between 3 and 5% of children in the UK have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, often referred to as ADHD.

Manifesting itself in many ways, challenges can be faced where the safety of those who have the disorder is compromised. This includes Waterplay, where a fascination with water can provide its own unique challenges, and for Mrs Bupe and her family of Exeter, a Surestop switch has transformed her family’s daily life.

The Challenge

Before the installation of the Surestop Stopcock, Mrs Bupe’s son would constantly play with the kitchen taps due to his fascination with waterplay, a known condition where a person is obsessed with the flow of water. This had become tiring and hard to manage and had resulted in the flooding of the kitchen on several occasions, an injury due to a flood, and a scalding when the hot water tap had been turned on.

A referral to an Occupational Therapist assessed how the needs of the child and the family could be balanced and more specifically, a detailed study was taken regarding the flow of water at the kitchen sink.

The Situation

The assessment identified that Waterplay was becoming a constant problem as the child would take any opportunity he could to turn the taps on.  As both parents are currently working from home and conducting meetings via video call, there are multiple times a day when their whole attention needs to be elsewhere. This gives their son the perfect opportunity for uncontrolled play and brings about all the safety issues associated with that.

The Solution

During a home assessment the families Occupational Therapist suggested a solution that would give the family full independence and use of the kitchen sink at the flick of a switch yet enable them to control the waterplay. The product recommended was a Surestop stopcock with remote switch.

A further home visit by a Surestop specification manager and the families Occupational Therapist demonstrated how easy a Surestop product is to operate giving reassurance as to how the day-to-day operational aspect could be managed.

The practicality of the installation was also assessed thinking about the element of waterplay, but also the flooding and scalding that had occurred. A pressure reducing valve to reduce spray, and a thermostatic mixing valve limited to 42⁰C to remove the chance of scalding was specified in addition to the Surestop switch giving the right balance of control and safety without compromising the use of water within the kitchen for the wider family.  Two Surestop switches were installed for both the hot and cold-water feeds.

What the customer said

“This has been a game changer for our family – waterplay is now under control and our son is starting to show more interest in more beneficial activities throughout the day.

“Working from home has become much easier and our son is managing his own play and learning time more freely and in a safe manner that gives us much more peace of mind and reassurance.

“Now that we have control over both our hot and cold-water supplies, the risk of scalding and flooding have been removed, thanks to the innovative products from Surestop, which has had a huge impact on our family life.”