Sunday, 7 July 2013

An Easy Drink – Part 3



Our final suggestion for independent drinking that  that we have found successful .  The Hydrant



The Hydrant is a sports bottle specifically designed to give those with limited mobility a way to be able to drink independently. 
 
It looks like an ordinary water bottle with an usual lid.  Not only does the lid contain an opening for a tube to go in, it also has a handle that allows it to be attached securely to any chair, as demonstrated with both a house chair and a wheelchair.  It's surprisingly stable and E has never knocked it off or pulled the tube out.





Once filled with water, E just needs to suck on the tube to get a drink.  It works really well as E brings it to her mouth using the same movement as her sign for drink and she can easily grab the tube.  For those less able to reach, it comes with a clip to attach the tube to clothing, keeping it close at hand.  
 



The tube and bite valve work in a similar manner to sports based hydration systems but also uses gravity to help the liquid flow and once it is in the tube, it only takes a small suck to get a drink.  We’ve had no problems at all with leakages, other when E spends time removing the bite valve for fun rather than drinking.

I contacted the people behind the Hydrant and they have kindly offered a few free for people to try (although they are really well priced).  If you would like one, please post a comment below asking to be included in the draw.  I’ll do a random selection  at 5 pm on Thursday  11 July and  post the winning names and get contact details then.

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