Not a handgun expert by any stretch of the imagination, but unless the 65 year old lady is going to go out and practice alone, I don't see where her problems with racking the slide or loading the magazine really matter. Leave her with a fully loaded weapon that she can point and shoot. If she runs out of rounds without putting down the home invader, she's not going to get a chance to reload and rack the slide anyway. (Might want to consider a larger gun with higher capacity). When she practices, her son will presumably be on hand to help with the mag and the slide. What am I missing?
Even just handling a loaded up semi auto (as in carrying it from room to room or taking it out of the drawer and putting it back) is more prone to AD in the hands of a novice than a double action, medium frame, revolver in ready condition.
