Dear Heloise: My mom, who passed in February at age 97, was an avid reader of yours through the years. If we had a stain, watermark or any other common problem, she had the answer! I recently read two ideas from readers. One was about a remote doorbell used for her elderly parent. I have an even better suggestion. My mom always had her walker with her. We had a very large house, and her quarters were separate from ours. I purchased a remote doorbell with two receivers. One was in the kitchen, and one was in our bedroom. I attached the doorbell button to her walker with velcro, so if she ever needed me for any reason, the button was right within reach!

The second hint is in response to the lady who saves water from her shower while the water warms up. We have a dehumidifier in our basement that produces gallons of water every week. We dump water from the dehumidifier into a 33-gallon garbage can, and when it is time to water the plants outside, I have plenty to go around. I have also inserted a small pump into the bottom of the trash can and attached a hose. That works great, too, but my watering cans fit nicely into the large trash can when I need to fill or refill them. — Carol G., Seneca Falls, New York

Dear Heloise: I’ve seen many recent suggestions for “youngsters” just starting out. One very overlooked, but incredibly important, suggestion is to inform your kids to find out where their water meter is. They should also understand how it works and how to manually shut it off in case of a plumbing emergency.

For $15, they can purchase a “plumbers key” in any hardware store. It allows easy access to shut off the main water supply in your home, until a professional plumber can examine and do repairs. Also, if you plan an extended vacation, it’s a good idea to shut water off and possibly avoid a water disaster upon coming home! I’m a retired dentist and longtime landlord. I always educate my tenants to at least know this information. Love reading your column daily. — Dr. Z, Little Rock, Arkansas

Dear Heloise: If you don’t want a hidden key laying around, you can do what we did and install an electronic lock on your door. They range from simple push-button types to ones that can be unlocked with your smartphone. You can set codes for friends, guests, service folks or whomever, and delete them as warranted. These locks are very convenient to use, and even allow us to go out for strolls, dog-walking, etc., without needing to carry keys. — Dan Curran, Canyon Country, California

Dear Heloise: I enjoyed your info about the difficulty of swallowing pills, as well as all the others. However, I have a slightly different offering. Tell the person taking the pills: “Lift your eyes to the heavens and pray they go down.” Also, remember to say “thank you” to whatever higher power you prayed to. Think about it. — Gordon McAfee, M.D., via email

Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.

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