Nancy, I do leave Bob on his own while I make a Walmart run or get carryout. But I bought this thing in the jewelery dept at Walmart and has a plastic card holder on a fancy string. I put a note inside saying if I'm in an accident my husband is a stroke survivor and will need help. Then our address. I fold that so it's on the inside of the paper and on the outside that shows thru the clear plastic holder I write EMERGENCY INFO. I don't take it off and put it in my room, but always in my purse. So, even if I should leave and forget it from the beginning, it is my purse to either be put on or be found. But I can barely get a few houses before I think of it the few times I didn't already have it on, because you know how we have them on our minds.

PS - I know that not every stroke person can be left alone, but Bob loves his independence and doesn't really do anything at all in the kitchen, not even get a drink, so the only thing we have went over was his idea to 'try' things while I'm gone, and not to do it. I used to go once he was down for a nap, but no longer takes them on a regular basis or time slot. But I get him set up with his shows and something to drink and he is dry and I be sure that cat is not in the garage to make a noise that makes Bob want to go help him!

I leave him the phone on his table and call him on the way home, as part of his phone training. I've told him if anything ever bad happened he could dial 911, but don't know if he'd remember in a panic or not. I've said, don't worry if you can't say the right words, once that number is dialed they come even if you say nothing!

>he tripped on a rug and tore his carotid artery on the inside

-This is the first time I saw this in another way.....today when I read this, it caused me to wonder if it isn't what they think happened to Bob (only no trip involved). One doctor thinks he had a plac rupture in his carotid artery. Everyone has some plac there, he actually had very little, but if it tears, all this junk comes out that is under it and add to that that all these red blood cells come flying into the area to try to scab it over, and end up clogging the artery up, then some of those get loose and go to the brain too. Bob was hit all over, and not that any doctor there TOLD me one thing, but when I insisted on seeing one of his MRIs, I saw things all over his brain like confetti, and of course, 2 large spots, one over the language area and one more to the front. So, I just wonder if tearing the carotid artery is working out to mean the same thing as plac rupture in what actually happened?

Well, as a survivor myself now for 9 years as my wife returned to work 2 years after the stroke I have had a cell phone in pocket, a home alone beeper from the VA that calls 911 with the push of a button and I have all my info in pocket should I need to be identified including my med list.

That's a great thing to do Nancy and others where speaking is a problem for the survivor if anything did happen to the care giver for any length of time. One thing for sure we never know when things will happen to any of us.