Dear Heloise: My husband is in an assisted living facility. I keep an erasable white board in his room. When a visit or trip is planned, I write it on the board. It helps him remember, and the staff loves it. This way, they make sure he’s ready. I also write sport schedules.

In addition, I keep the same type of board in the garage. I write reminders to get gas, fill bird feeders, take something into the house, bring something into the garage, etc. It saves standing in the mudroom and trying to remember what I came in for. Thank you. — Barb Crandell, via email

DEVICE FOR THE

HARD OF HEARING

Dear Heloise: I read your column in the Los Angeles Daily News. You recently had a suggesting regarding spam calls. If you are hard of hearing here in California, the state sponsors a device where you can read what the caller is saying. The phone is made and installed by CapTel. It shows you the telephone number and sometimes the name of who is calling.

If I don’t recognize the call, I press the message button, and if it is a spam call, they usually do not leave a message and just hang up. If they leave a message, I can hear it. If it’s someone I know, I pick up the call. I am sure other states offer this phone to the hard of hearing. — Fred Weiss, via email

NURSING HOME VISITS

Dear Heloise: Visiting a loved one in a nursing home who does not always remember you is painful for you both. I have a hint that may help: I walk in with a bright smile and say, “Rose, it’s your old buddy Laura from church. How are you doing today?” By introducing myself like this, Rose does not have to scramble to remember who I am or where she knows me from. And she will often reply with: “Laura, how nice to see you.”

There are so many people walking around in a nursing home, so a simple “introduction” can put a dementia patient at ease. — Laura Ishler, in Curwensville, Pennsylvania

Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.