Living Well, Living Solo

I bought one of those Care Alarms which I wear around my neck 24/7. I paid marginally extra because I am more likely walking to shops than in my rear garden. I have no Iiving relatives in this country and I didn't want to disturb working friends and neighbours.
Minor problem is it is very sensitive and one night when asleep must have crushed under a breast, so I was woken asking if I was okay, and I just had to press and talk to the alarm.

It also tells me when it needs recharging. That can be awkward because it doesn't shut up until you do and you could be in the middle of M&S!

We have a basic care system (over 55's retirement flats) for which we can request the pendant or watch but I'm going to try and go down the technology route as I feel comfortable with that.

I realised, talking to our Freeholder's agent the other day, that different "Retirement" flats can provide even more differences than I had thought about

DaisyAnneReturns

Help! I'm unable to do my ironing after an accident. I will get back to normal but it would be useful to know if anyone has had this problem and what you have found to be the best way to deal with it.

Perhaps not at the moment, but you might find a little travel iron easier as you recover. I find the lighter weight easier to manage though it doesn’t cover as much ground in one swipe🙂

I have also found the little travelling kettle a good idea as the full size one got hard to lift, even if I only put a small amount of water in.

I think things like lighter irons (such as a travel iron) are worth investing in for the future as well as now Lathyrus, as I can see weight being a possible problem. I'm stunned at the things I can't manage although I'm on some heavyweight pain killers too which make me fall asleep all the time A day in A & E is also incredibly tiring although full of kind people.

I'm going to look at my ironing board and see if I can use it sitting down and also at extra padded ironing board covers or adding extra padding. I'm not sure how well sitting down would work and what would be best to sit on - a stool perhaps?

I have found this thread rather late but what a good idea, I have been feeling very down and its getting worse, this has cheered me up.

Sorry you're feeling down Allsorts. I don't think you're late - this could just keep going gently for as long as we want it to

I've been on this site for a couple of months now and you get used to seeing familiar posters. I haven't seen anything of CariadAgain for a few weeks, I hope she is fit and well, she used to have a lot to say and I've missed her input. Are you ok, Cariad? 💐

I have been looking at a smallish Air Fryer today on the John Lewis website. Could be tempted.
Any one cook jacket potatoes in theirs?
I am cooking just for myself now and in normal circumstances would be buying a new cooker as ours is a 40 year old Belling on its last legs. But I could probaly survive with our microwave, slow cooker, toaster, and an Air fryer. Or at least I could give it a try and see how well I coped.

I do HelterSkelter and they are okay. Sometimes I microwave them to soften them first. My airfryer is pretty basic and I have looked at bigger/better ones but so far this works for me.

Apropos an earlier conversation about smaller kettles. Buying one has really gone very well - I have a (healing) fractured sternum at the moment. I can really see it being a better bet if I were to become frailer later on.

We have a little travel kettle and it is very light compared with our normal kettle. A good buy DaisyAnne.
I also read that anyone finding it difficult to lift a heavy pan with vegetables etc ready to strain over the sink, would find it easier to lift the veg out with a straining spoon and put into an empty light pan or colander and then to empty the hot water later when cooler using a plastic jug or mug all to avoid lifting a heavy pan of water.
And sell any Le Creuset!

DaisyAnneReturns

Help! I'm unable to do my ironing after an accident. I will get back to normal but it would be useful to know if anyone has had this problem and what you have found to be the best way to deal with it.

Having fractured my right wrist and then a few years later my left wrist, I am afraid I took the cowards way out of ironing. I now hardly iron anything. I find if I pull things into shape before I put them on a heated clothes horse they look OK. (by my standards)

I have never ironed underwear, socks or towels even in my prime and I have some lovely soft pure cotton bedding that I don't iron.

I use mason jars (glass jars with metal lids) if i ever cook a meal and then portion the meals for one person into the jar in layers like a cottage pie. After it's cooled the lid goes on, I use a dry erase eraseable pen to write on the lid the contents and pop it in my freezer. My freezer is full of a variety of homemade meals and soups for one. I waste no food. If the quantity of anything, veg, meat, casserole, bread, sauce is too much it simply is labelled and put in the freezer for future use. The jars are stackable, microwaveable and inexpensive.

I also stock up on jarred salads in the my fridge for a quick healthy snack. Fun to make and easy to take along with you too. All you do is bring a fork and shake it. So many varieties !

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HelterSkelter1 I've just had this air fryer which I'm really pleased with. It's basically just a little oven that sits on the worktop.
There's a light so you can see what's going on.
It's very easy to access with the drop-down door and shelves. My previous one was the "bucket" style and that could be really awkward to take the food out of.

Thank you V3ra. What a neat cooker. I have been wondering how I would take food out of a bucket or drawer. The sort of tbings I would cook would be chicken legs or breasts, fish, jacket potatoes, shepherds pies, fish pies and of course some ready meals. All small sizes for at the most 2 people.
It was useful to hear that it was your 2nd one and you were pleased with it.
I shall spend this week looking at all the websites before I make the decision.

In a way it reminded me of the Baby Belling I had in a bed sitter at 21 years old! Although I think that had an electric hot plate/ring on the top. Can't remember what on earth I cooked on it, but I did cook a meal for 4 once or twice. No ready meals then in the dark ages.

I have an envelope pinned to my notice board which reads - To be opened in event of being taken to hospital.
In that I list first of all - my current medication and whereabouts it can be found in my flat. Secondly my need for things like phone charger, kindle etc and whereabout they all are and also where clean clothes are kept (nighties, pants, bras, etc. etc.)

Last year I was taken by ambulance from my GP's surgery to local hospital where i was kept for a few days, and this proved to be excellent for my daughter to bring a bag of all this stuff in.
Each morning, at my brekkie I send that daughter who lives and works very near to me, a simple message just saying 'OK'/
.If she does not get this by 9.00 am she will telephone me, and if I do not answer the phone she will come round. Means the very longest I could go if unconscious or worse would be 24 hours.
Alexa etc can be set up to call an ambulance or to phone someone. So, anywhere in my flat I could just call out for help through that.

When I had my new kitchen done a few years back, I splashed out on a special boiling water tap. Love this, no need for any kettle, and I have boiling water literally on tap whenever I need it, how much. Uses not just for tea/coffee making, but straight into saucepan for pasta or frozen veg. Hopefully, they will eventually come down in price and more people can have them installed.
Induction hobs are a great safety feature, so much more efficient and cheaper to run that ceramic electric hobs, So very much safer to use than those or the naked flame gas hobs.
I find that hard floors are far better than carpet. So much easier to keep clean (spray mop), and kinder to spills. Also so much easier to move furniture and also my kitchen trolley which I use to move anything and everything from my kitchen to where I am eating.
Just one point about the safety step/ladder that was shown earlier in this thread. I purchased one of those several years back, when still in my house. Yes, it is very safe to use - but is very heavy to move even from room to room, let alone if needing to go up or down stairs etc. I gave mine to one of my daughters, was much too heavy for me to be able to use any more.

I love my air fryer. It’s great especially for one person. I hardly use my oven now.
I iron as little as possible though more is needed in summer when I wear cottons. When I was pregnant I sat down to iron. I might try that again when my back is bad.

Thank you OP for starting this thread. It is so positive and pragmatic.
We are all going to have to cope with ageing and infirmity at some stage ...if we are lucky to be here... and making good choices based on other people's ideas or experience is so helpful.
Aluminium garden furniture was my good choice when all around me were buying heavy wood or cast iron. I can lift the benches easily on my own off the grass when I need to mow. And after almost 10 years still look good and were surprisingly cheap from Homebase bought as single benches not as a set.
I look forward to dipping into the thread again.

HS1. DAR has already answered your question but I thought I’d chip in. (That’s probably a bad airfryer joke. I wonder how many people try out their airfryer for the first time with frozen chips?)

I have a Ninja two-drawer airfryer but they all work on the same principle. Mini fan ovens.

I enjoy a jacket potato. It’s made making those a breeze.

I start by by cooking the spud in the microwave for five-six minutes depending on size, then spray it with some Frylight oil and another five-six minutes in the air fryer on 200 degrees which makes the skin crispy.

I’ve had my air fryer for over two years now and rarely use my old oven and hob (also Belling!). Saves on energy too. My electricity bill dropped by £10 a month after I started using the airfryer.

Thank you Graphite. I have missed jacket potatoes with my ailing Belling.

How about a clothes pressing machine. I bought my daughter one she found it great. Not suitable for big items but for clothes or smaller things it was ideal.

I think I've always assumed the bit you lift on a clothes pressing machine would be heavy midgey.

Would a hand held steamer be of any use instead of an iron I havent got one but my sister IL has and uses it all the time.. never uses her iron now. But I don't know how good it is for bedding etc.

Thanks HelterSkelter. I have a steamer but you use it vertically not horizontally. It's useful, but if I was buying again I would look for one you could use horizontally I think. Also, it's reasonably heavy. I think I should be able to go on using it for some time but it's too much at the moment although my fractured sternum is very definitely mending

I have manage one item of ironing by the way. So, much though I hate the "pile" sitting there, perhaps we all have to be prepared to spread jobs out over a longer period?