SK,
I am sorry to hear this about your father. I think a baby monitor is an excellent idea and I think they sell them with more than just the base and receiver (like when I bought them). It has been over 13 years since I bought a set, but the one I had was the cheapo kind and it picked up noise from many rooms (ie. the base was in the nursery nd you could hear everything in the ajoining hallway, bedroom, and bathroom).