Check Your Shower Temperature

Our son John-Paul (20) has Down’s Syndrome and is quite severely mentally disabled. He will never tell you when he is hurt or ill, and as his carer I have to use all my powers of deduction, and knowledge of my son to work out what is wrong if it is not immediately obvious.

Last week I came home from the supermarket and called John-Paul to help me unpack the shopping. He had been fine when I left him eating his breakfast, so I was shocked to see that one side of his face was pink, his eye swollen and streaming! He would not explain what had happened. I administered cold compresses for the rest of the day, and by the evening John-Paul was looking more himself. However, we had still not worked out what had gone wrong.

The next day I took my shower first, as I always do, and was nearly scalded in the process! I discovered the shower temperature was turned to its highest setting. Like a light bulb pinging on in my head, all became clear. John-Paul had taken his shower after our guest who was staying with us for a few days. The guest, unfamiliar with shower, had somehow managed to fiddle with the temperature knob when turning it off. John-Paul, therefore got the full blast of very hot water on the side of his face, causing a scald! John-Paul had obviously removed himself very quickly before anymore damage was done. Apart from a very slight pink tinge on his cheek, he is back to normal. John-Paul has been appreciating the fuss and pampering he has been receiving for the last few days!

Always check your shower temperature after guests have used it, especially if you have children or vulnerable adults in your home!