Dear Heloise: I’m an 85-year-old widower who’s solved a problem that bothered me while my wife was suffering with dementia. How would the authorities, family or trusted neighbors get into my house during an emergency if a wellness check was in order?

I went to the local lock shop and purchased a mountable lockbox. I installed it below my ring doorbell beside the front door.

I put the front-door key in it and set the combination to a number I’ll always remember. I then notified all of the people mentioned above to put the combination on their smart devices. — Roger Kneeland, Garden Grove, Calif.

Dear Heloise: Thanks for printing my suggestion about using a compact vacuum sweeper to lighten the work of vacuuming for seniors. I do have a correction, though. The sweeper I bought is a compact upright vacuum, not a handheld. Thank you. — Michael Noll, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Dear Heloise: I enjoy “Hints from Heloise,” and I have one that you might like. When you open a frozen plastic bag of fruit or vegetables, cut a strip about a 1/2 inch off the top of the bag to open. When you have removed all you want to use, tie the strip of plastic around the bag. Knot it and put it back in the freezer.

No band, clip or tie strip needed. Thanks. — Marianne Banks, Lee, N.H.

Dear Heloise: Having a tough time cleaning out candleholders with leftover wax? Take a corkscrew and start in the middle of the wax residue. Twist it in as far as you can, then use the two arms to lift it out. It works every time.

I read your column in the Times Union in Albany, New York. — Tom Federlin, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Dear Heloise: I locked myself out of my condo, and it cost me a small fortune to get a locksmith out to open my door. So, I had three copies made of my new key: One goes under the floor mat in my car, one goes in my wallet, and the third goes to someone who has been my neighbor for the past 11 years. I can trust her. — Anna J., Houston