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I've thought about that. But want something that's free.
They make them. I bought one for mom; there is a rechargeable pendant with two buttons, and a regular landline telephone, and they are connected wirelessly. The buttons on the pendant are linked to two speed dial buttons on the landline telephone. I've programmed one for 911 and the other to call my cell phone. The pendant has a speaker/microphone.
Works well and is free, aside from the plain old telephone line.
But great idea for a thread! "The Mighty Queen's Journey". I'll take pictures and try the local food in all of your areas.
A friend ouf ours did it. Travelled the US with an unlimited miles plane ticked and an on-board bag for two months. He had a blast and a lot of good memories to share.
When DH goes elk hunting I have two weeks of alone time. It's a good thing I have a next door neighbor my age who lives alone and understands about these things.
Many times I have fastened a necklace or bracelet or unbuttoned a back closure for her.
One year I ran errands in a good, snug-fitting pair of leather boots. By the time I got home it was dark and my feet had swollen enough I couldn't get my boots off. Time to get the favor returned.
The thing is in Minnesota wintertime people our age are often in our pajamas by that time of night. Hated to expect her to put on her winter clothes and come over. I had one boot half on and half off and couldn't maneuver well.
I called her and she came over and pulled off the stubborn boots. Not such a big deal, I know, until you contemplate having to go to bed with a pair of cold, wet boots on. We both had a good laugh.
Seems you can always find help if you are willing to ask.
Ahhhhh, memories of being a Texas Aggie......."FRESHMEN!" (for those without a clue, shades of "The Cheyenne Social Club" with Sue Ane Langdon and Henry Fonda).....and darn, will have to write the rest of this post, later!
A friend ouf ours did it. Travelled the US with an unlimited miles plane ticked and an on-board bag for two months. He had a blast and a lot of good memories to share.
Best way to travel is on the ground so you can see what's between the east coast and the west coast. Flying doesn't do that.
My DH and I made several trips across the great USA by car. Each trip took several months, and each was wonderful in its own way.
Three-ish years ago I was sofa shopping at one of those huge, warehouse type of furniture market. Gigantic place with furniture everywhere. I was looking at reclining furniture, thinking I would get a reclining sofa and recliner (the electric type). I was was in the back corner of this place and decided to try one of the recliners. I plopped down and reclined to about half way so that I was sitting deep into this thing, feet high up on the foot rest. Thought how comfy this was and maybe I would buy it. Then pushed the button to return to sitting position and.... nothing happened. Kept trying, still nothing. Now this place had only one employee trying to help everyone in the store. He was nowhere around, nor were there any other customers in that corner of the store. Trying to struggle out of this thing unsuccessfully, I realized that I was trapped in it. I actually started to laugh realizing what a stupid pickle of a situation I got myself into. Talk about a Lucy & Ethel predicament...
edited to add: I just told my husband this story and he was shocked, not really amused, and said I really have to be more careful. I thought it was funny after the fact, but scary as heck when it happened.
So I started to scoot forward far enough to straddle the foot rest and hoist myself up on the armrests, which was taking considerable upper body strength to do because it was suede, not the slippery kind of leather. About mid-way through this very, very unbecoming maneuver, the sales guy finally comes around and helped me out the rest of the way (thankfully I was wearing jeans and not a skirt!).
It was a very humbling and embarrassing experience. I probably could have wriggled my way out of this thing eventually if my life depended on it, but it was taking all the strength I had at the time, being only a few months after a TKR. That made me realize that probably an electric recliner was a bad idea for me and if I really wanted one, I should get the manual type with the handle on the side in smooth leather upholstery. I ended up getting a regular, L-sofa - no mechanisms involved.
So yeah, being in a recliner if it breaks (or electricity goes out if it's electric) and you're alone in the house is not something we'd normally think about. I consider it fate that day telling me to take a hard pass on an electric recliner for now. I would however, consider an electric reclining sofa which you can easily roll over to the next seat to get out if it breaks in mid-recline.
This reminded me of the time I was staying at my sister-in-law's dad's house alone a couple years ago. He was away for the winter and his house was unused, and they were staying in a tiny rental while they built their home, so they offered me his house for a few days while I visited. Her dad had this upside-down hanging thing that's supposed to stretch your back (inversion table?). So I thought I'd try it out. I strapped my ankles in and flipped myself slowly over. It was fine until I tried to get back up and couldn't figure out how to do it. I was stuck upside down, almost vertical, and trying to sit up from that position was out of the question. I struggled to pull my ankles out without hands (couldn't reach my ankles), no way. I buckled them in pretty tightly so I wouldn't fall on my head upside down. I tried swinging my arms up quickly, anything I could think of. It was so funny, but so scary too. What if I couldn't get up? Would I die like that? I didn't know. I finally was able to reach the corner of a dresser with a hand and use it to pull my upper body up enough to change the balance of the thing and force my legs down so I could come upright again. Those things are NOT safe if you're home alone. LOL It would make a great scene for a movie or TV show.
Last edited by TheShadow; 06-27-2023 at 09:27 AM..
When DH goes elk hunting I have two weeks of alone time. It's a good thing I have a next door neighbor my age who lives alone and understands about these things.
Many times I have fastened a necklace or bracelet or unbuttoned a back closure for her.
One year I ran errands in a good, snug-fitting pair of leather boots. By the time I got home it was dark and my feet had swollen enough I couldn't get my boots off. Time to get the favor returned.
The thing is in Minnesota wintertime people our age are often in our pajamas by that time of night. Hated to expect her to put on her winter clothes and come over. I had one boot half on and half off and couldn't maneuver well.
I called her and she came over and pulled off the stubborn boots. Not such a big deal, I know, until you contemplate having to go to bed with a pair of cold, wet boots on. We both had a good laugh.
Seems you can always find help if you are willing to ask.
Your mention of the Minnesota wintertime, and the subject of falls makes me think of my sister. She lived in Minneapolis, not alone but in an apartment on the second story of a house she shared with her son and his family. She had several falls courtesy of icy grounds in the winter, and while she sometimes talked of moving into an apartment alone ( there was friction between my sister and her DIL) I don't think she'd have survived some of those mishaps that befell her over the years had help not been nearby.
She fell one time ( not at home, but in a parking lot outside her workplace) on black ice, hit the back of her head and suffered a brain bleed that put her out of commission with brain damage for a number of months. She went through rehab and recovered almost completely( except for her sense of smell that never returned- she counted herself lucky at that), went back to work. She fell outside her home on an icy sidewalk and shattered her ankle, which required a hospital stay, surgery a d rehab. She was lucky her son was home at the time and could help her.
Then there was the time she got up at night, passed out cold on the floor- her son/DIL heard her fall, found her groggy and called 911. Turned out she had cardiac sinus node dysfunction ( she also had A-fib) and her heart rate was 38 and wouldn't go any higher.The EMT took her to the hospital, where they implanted a pacemaker the next day.
But she died alone, unexpectedly. She had pneumonia and had driven herself ( it was over the weekend), to the ER. She insisted on driving, turning down the offer of help from her daughter who lived nearby. Her son and family were off for the day on an outing to celebrate his twin sons' birthday. The hospital sent her home with a prescription which she intended to fill the next day ( no drug stores open Sunday night). I guess she spoke to both her son, and daughter and reassured them she was ok, so they didn't check again, till the next day. Her son called her the next morning from work, got no answer for the several times he called. Worried, he went to her apartment to check on her, and found her dead, he said she was in a natural sleeping position, on her side, only curled up in a fetal position. There was no autopsy, her death was declared "from natural causes" ( she was 73)
I know both her son and daughter were wracked with guilt feelings over thinking that had they been there, they might have done something, gotten her help to save her life, and we all kept thinking the hospital ER should have admitted her instead of sending her home( this was during the time of covid covid covid all the time and they were turning away noncovid patients) but we really don't know. I think they reconciled eventually with the fact that they'd always been there for their mom, and maybe the hospital could have done something differently, but we aren't always ( very seldom, in fact) in control of things and we don't know what's going to happen.
Don't laugh. I once thought I wouldn't mind not having a home. Just drift around staying at hotels.
It crossed my mind again with the sucky turn life threw at me. My dreams and plans for where I would live and with whom smashed by illness and death, returning home to a problematic brother I let stay temporarily in my home that I now have little hope of getting rid of--I told my daughter that one of these days I might just start wandering.
That is what I basically did in the Air Force. We would be on the road for months. Stayed in hotels. Hotel life can be relaxing. No responsibilities. Come home from work, go out to eat, come back, watch TV relax. Breakfast the next day.
That is what I basically did in the Air Force. We would be on the road for months. Stayed in hotels. Hotel life can be relaxing. No responsibilities. Come home from work, go out to eat, come back, watch TV relax. Breakfast the next day.
Exercise room, pool etc.
Be careful. The hotel I spent 3 weeks in for school for the Navy was in Virginia Beach.....and was used for prom night.
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I was stuck upside down, almost vertical, and trying to sit up from that position was out of the question. I struggled to pull my ankles out without hands (couldn't reach my ankles), no way. I buckled them in pretty tightly so I wouldn't fall on my head upside down. I tried swinging my arms up quickly, anything I could think of. It was so funny, but so scary too. What if I couldn't get up? Would I die like that? I didn't know. I finally was able to reach the corner of a dresser with a hand and use it to pull my upper body up enough to change the balance of the thing and force my legs down so I could come upright again. Those things are NOT safe if you're home alone. LOL 
It would make a great scene for a movie or TV show.
