I don't know what you're paying for Internet now, but maybe switching to Starlink might be better for Internet AND redundancy?
Looking at eBay for Sat phones, they are pretty pricey, though there are some from around $80 to $150. The damn calling cards though... That's at least $200 for 100 minutes that's good for 30 days. The card seems to expire in two years though, and according to ChatGPT you can activate via the phone its self without service, but that may or may not work. So that's a wrench in the gears. Especially on the monetary front. But would fit this particular issue.
I like the pedestal idea though. If you know where one is now that could be a benefit. But, what if POTS is down? I'm sure a lot of it is on a pole, you know?
Me being just me, I would never trust the cellular or POTS network during an act of God. Especially when public safety has high priority to use what may be a highly congested cell tower. I'd personally want to gravitate towards Satellite. So Starlink, InReach or T-mobile's Sat offering. Everything else HF... Well, in regards to SHTF sort of stuff at least.
I'm sorry about your predicament. I'm in the same rusty boat. My parents are not in the best of shape and my dad's kidneys are going way south and I'm betting he'll be in dialysis soon. While that's going on my mom needs a biopsy of a mass in her thyroid. She already had one half removed. Both parents take a freaking pharmacy in medication. One of which is a real wallet burner (Thanks Pfizer) since it's an FDA tier 1 (?) drug. I get tier 3 and tier 1 mixed up. Which ever is the most price rapey. Speaking of which, I always curse the TV with the big pharma Ads. Even have a bumper sticker that reads, "Ask your doctor if 25 pages of side effects is right for you!" To that end, I personally think there's a cure for cancer. All the millions and millions donated, the pink ribbon crap done to license plates and socks to the 4k run and walks. And God forbid you get cancer (I probably will one day). You lose your house, car, job, life savings - EVERYTHING, just to go to an expensive cancer treatment center, take experimental drugs (to their marketing/research benefit) and maybe live another two years or whatever. I say this because I've had more family members and family friends die of cancer I lost count. I'd have to literally think now how many there were. And yet Magic Johnson with full blown AIDS lives and lived past COVID.... Hmmmm. Money talks, BS walks.
On the subject of seizures, my sister went through that as a teenager. Just out of the blue she'd drop. I'll never forget back then as teenagers we both we're going back and fourth about who would die first. Right then and there she dropped and had a seizure. Unreal! Later on in the years they just went away. I have to wonder about our poisonous food... and maybe some of the vaccines. Though, I'm not an anti-vaxxer, but there's some interesting crap there... But that's a whole four paragraphs worth. I mean, on the subject of poisonous food - for God sakes, you drink a cup of tea not knowing just how much pesticide they probably sprayed on the tea leaves, you know? Now the U.S. is finally getting rid of dyes in food. Europe has been doing stuff like that and more for years!
At any rate, I think it's fare to say we all go through our own personal hell in this world. One person may look at another and think they have everything, they're all perfect and whatnot but don't know the actual truth... Life is school.
I yield back the balance of my time.
