Here is a short list of common items that may be used as weapons for self defense. The list may seem long, but it is actually very short. Nearly ANYTHING can be used as a weapon. Scissors will cut paper, but may also stab an assailant. Have you ever accidentally hit your thumb with a hammer while hammering nails? Imagine a hard hammer blow to the head of an attacker. Screw drivers, especially the long thin electrical one, are similar to ice picks. Almost any tool in the mechanics tool box can be used as a weapon.
Heavy glass ashtrays or mixing bowels make good projectiles. Brooms and shovels may be used to strike at greater than arm's length.
For a truly covert concealed weapon, try a credit card sharpened on two adjacent sides; or a music cd honed to razor sharpness. A heavy belt buckle swung at the end of a belt may be effective. A roll of quarters in the toe of a sock; the metal post of a dis-assembled metal music stand. Possibilities are everywhere.
Even if you do not own a gun, you need not feel completely defenseless at home. Think ahead about what items you might need to use in case of a home break-in. Think of a few innocuous items you might carry on your person while you are shopping or out for a walk. If you are attacked by a thief, or a nasty dog, think ahead and be ready, just in case. Half a dozen fairly heavy stones in your jacket pocket may easily drive away a threatening dog.
If you are elderly, be sure to have a cell phone on your person at all times. At the first sign of a home break in, or any other danger, IMMEDIATELY call 911, and retreat to a bedroom in your home that you have designed as a "safe room." That's where you should be sleeping at night. It should have a steel door, strong locks and barred windows. Wait there for help to arrive.