General Chat

Been to visit hubby in hospital and drove back home .
Opened garage door with key and then put the keys in the car on the front passenger seat with my handbag ,

Parked the car and got out and locked it and came out through the side garage door and pulled up the door handle to lock it.

Went to the back door and went to get the key to open and realised I didn't have it . Was locked in the back garden cos the gate has a padlock on it and that key is on the same key ring

PANIC

I can't get in the garage can't get in the house can't get out the garden . Hope to goodness the mobile has battery on it so can call for help .
Rang grandaughter who has spare front door and porch keys , she wasn't at home having been away for the weekend but she was able to ring a friend who she left her keys with ,

Well the friend drove to ours but couldn't get me out of the garden but went around to the front with the porch and front door key . I had left hubby's keys inside the door but she was able, to poke them through and open the door and then open the back door and let me in

These 5 part locking systems that are so secure are great till you lose keys .

I feel such a charley but worrying about hubby is my excuse . Bet I check and double check in future before I put the side garage door handle up that has 3 part lockng on it
I was so worried too that my mobile had enough battery or else I was trapped in the garden all night too

Phew am I glad to be in the house . Have had a couple of glasses of Rose to to calm me down

It's easy to do Shirley, I'm glad you're in, enjoy that wine you deserve it! :-D

Hi Shirley,

Glad you managed to get help to let you in. :-). You could have been in a right pickle.

My dear Mum lost her house key the other week while out shopping. She went across to the neighbours to use their phone, they kindly rang a couple of locksmiths, one of which came out. He was very kind to Mum, managed to take out a pane of glass to open a door, refitted the glass - all for $60 including the call out fee. A bargain indeed, I think he took pity on a little old lady.
My Mum then rang the shopping centre she had been too, established they had a set of keys that sounded like hers. She promptly walked back to the shops to reclaim her keys.. She will be 89 next birthday :-).

Think I may be on the downward path though

Hubby is having trouble feeding himself so I go in at lunch time to help him and grandaughter goes in to help him for supper

She was away for the weekend so I have done both visits sat and Sunday

Well yesterday I did the lunch ok and went back to the carpark after and went home . Went in later and helped him and went back to the carpark and panic the car wasn't there . Thought shit ,sorry for the word , the car has been stolen , how I don't know cos it's security is ace and you need a ticket to get out of the carpark . What do I do ??? do I ring the police . . Then had a sudden thought, silly cow. you are looking for it where you parked it at lunchtime ,you parked it on the other side of the carpark for the evening session

See I think I am losing it in more ways than one :-(

Awww....I didn't realise your OH was in hospital Shirley so it's no wonder you are doing these things. It's very, very easy to forget stuff because your mind is so distracted with things.

I find hospital visiting very tiring emotionally, physically and mentally. Don't worry, once you get into a reasonable routine, you will sort yourself out. Best wishes to you both. xx

Sorry to hear that your husband is in hospital Shirley. It's no wonder you are forgetful.
We live close to our local hospital and when my hubby is admitted and I drive home (often in the early hours of the morning) I sometimes wonder how I have managed to concentrate on the ever busy main roads!

Our next door neighbour has a set of our house keys which has been a blessing on more than one occasion, but I realize that this is not an option for everyone.

I hope that your hubby is having good care Shirley and that you will manage to get a decent nights sleep yourself. Take care, and enjoy the wine. xx

Cynthia,he has been in for 3 weeks now .he was suddenly taken ill at home with having fits and puking up , got help very quickly thank goodness cos it was sepsis and shock was setting it l

Was told it was touch and go but thank goodness it was caught in time .

He is 81 and has body dementia to as well as alzeimer but sadly the illness has now caused him to lose his mobility completely so we are in limbo now on what happens .

They have said a nursing home or getting him home with a care package . Well no way is he going in a home but the cost of it may be a a problem .
It's all a worry

during a winter in the snow a couple of years ago my missis lost her keys..so what? you might ask, I still have mine, and we DO have a hidden key for dire emergencies...........but this keyring had three of our deceased dog s tags on it,
yep phone no and address.......as it was lost in the snow with little chance of finding it by searching, the locks had to be changed.
fortunately in the thaw they were found........and an honest person fetched them round..........this week she did practically the same thing, fortunately without the dog tags.............so another new front door lock........

Kandj

Our grandaughter only said recently she was worried that if one or both of us were ill no one could get in to help . I had another porch door key cut and gave her a spare front door key too so she could get in an emergency

Well I've done similar daft things Shirley and have no excuse! Once I went out of the front door leaving it wide open while I wheeled the bin up the drive. Then I remembered the side gate was still open so walked round the side and noticed the greenhouse door was shut. (it was a hot day). So I shut the gate behind me and snapped the padlock shut and went to open the greenhouse in the back garden. Then I realised the back door was locked as was the gate now and I was trapped in the back garden. The front door was wide open and my handbag was just inside the lounge door. Luckily the other side, for the length of the bungalow there is a very narrow pathway with a tall bolted wooden narrow gate each end. However we don't use it and between the bungalow wall and the neighbours tall fence panels for the length of it my OH had stored everything under the sun, including 6 foot fence panels, ladder, tall chimney pots and fence posts etc. I had to lug them all out before I could open the gate at the front. I was aching all over by the time I staggered through the front door, but it taught me a lesson!!!

Shirley my 94 year old FIL was diagnosed with 2 kinds of dementia including Alzheimers a few months ago. He too has lost a lot of mobility and had a few falls at home. As his wife had to go into hospital, he was placed in a home and is settled and happy there now. I would check into things if I were you as when my MIL was discharged, the hospital had to provide a care package for her and it was all free. This leaflet explains a bit about it if you weren't aware. Very best wishes to you both.

file:///C:/Users/Ann/Downloads/when_does_NHS_pay_for_care%20(1).pdf

Its easy done when your mind is elsewhere

May your hubby be on the mend soon x :-D :-D

To get confused Shirley under what you are going through is totally understandable ......... you must be under a great deal of stress.

All best wishes to you and your husband ...... and please stay strong and take care of yourself.

Jo x

So sorry to hear that Shirley. I share your anxieties as I too may face a similar decision in the not too distant future.

My doctor recently advised me to have our finances checked to make sure that we weren't missing out on any benefits which may be due to us. I can remember you saying that your husband was a very private person but, in this case, it may be the answer if you want to care for him at home because you will certainly need assistance.

I think there is an online test you can take - from AgeUK.


Thinking of you. xx

Shirley, I am so sorry, I had not realised that you OH was ill in hospital. Such a worry for you. We always try and remember to remove the key from inside the door before we go out as if there is one in there the lock will jam when inserting another.

Also after I lost my door keys, with no ID on them and a long way from home, so no need to replace locks, I now have a long chain whech goes through the meyring and is sttached to whatever bag I am using. Besides anything else it costs s lot to replace keys.

Shirley, I hope you can work out an agreeable solution for your OH. <3

I hope today has been a less stressful one for you Shirley. I hope your husband is being well looked after and that you will remember to look after yourself too.

Have you thought of having a keysafe device fitted outside your door? It will hold a spare set of keys and can only be opened with a code of your choosing. We were advised to have one fitted when hubby needed carers after a hospital discharge last year. It might be an option for you to consider sometime in the future. Take care xx

Shirley I think we all get forgetful at times .my oh more than once has gone to a car .not ours .because it was white :-) Hope your OH is comfortable ..look after your self <3

Sorry you have so much on your plate right now Shirley, and I hope your poor hubby will not bet any worse.
Maybe you can find out what help you would get if your hubby has to go into a care home so the decision is easier for you.

Take care of yourself

Lizxxx

A safe would be a good idea kandj. As a precaution I have now put the spare back door key in my handbag too . Normally we use that to lock the door at night so as not to use our own key rings . I do have hubbies sets of keys too so may have to carry them around as well as my own I keep two sets of keys one for the back door garage and garden and another with the front door and porch so if one gets lost I can still get in the house That didn't work though getting myself locked in the garden !!

We are chivvying along the occupational health now as we need to discuss the options as a family to decide what will be best all round . My first reaction was he needs to be home but it's looking very much like he will need too much for a package to be put in place . I have to be sensible too in what I can manage as will be on my own with him in between carers coming in I am 78 plus and do get bouts of cellulitis that knocks me out for a week when it happens so that's a worry for hubbies care .

It's is all a worry

Thanks everyone for your kind words . It does help to talk about things .i have been keeping it bottled in which isn't a good way , so not eating at all well . Have lost weight which I could do with but not this way . :-(

Talking is good Shirley and people on here, asyou know are very supportive. Also a key safe is a very good idea, daughter has one, just choose a number that is easy to remember and have it mounted on the wall in a discreet position.

May be hiding a back door key in the garden ought to be considered as well, somewhere a little distant from the door.

Our daughter used to live in a terraced house. One morning she took the bin bags from the back through to the front. You guessed it, the draft slammed the front door shut while she was outside. By the time I'd arrived with a spare, she was looking rather chilly and forlorn standing there in her jim-jams :-0 :-D

When it comes to making a decision about caring for OH, do try to keep an open but realistic mind. Remember the cavat you gave.....for as long as you can....may be the combination of his needs and yours entail more help than can be provided at home. <3