As first reported by the Southend Echo, Doreen Mann became stuck in her bath and kept herself warm by topping it up with hot water.
Fortunately, Sonia Congrave, 39, became concerned when Mrs Mann did not appear at Tomassi's cafe for a couple of days.
She called the police who helped the 86-year-old out of the tub last week.
For more on this and other stories, visit Essex Live
"Doreen is an amazing lady," Ms Congrave said.
"When she didn't come in for a day or two, we realised something was wrong."
Mrs Mann said she usually went to the cafe four times a week for lunch and a glass of wine and described the establishment as "her second home".
Ms Congrave said now planned to pop round to Mrs Mann's to help her in and out of the bath.
She also plans to buy her a mobile telephone for emergencies.

Members of the EIS and FELA voted by 96% to 4% to accept the offer, which was negotiated through the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC).
They had first voted for industrial action in December 2015 and about 4,000 lecturers went on strike in March.
Lecturers said pay varied by up to Â£10,000 a year at different colleges.
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: "Members in colleges across Scotland have given their overwhelming approval of the pay offer.
"This pay agreement shows what can be achieved by a group of employees standing together, through their union, to protect their rights."
John Kelly, President of EIS-FELA said: "While this very clear ballot result settles this particular issue over pay, specifically the top of the salary scale for unpromoted lecturers across Scotland, there is still much work to do to agree the detail of all national pay scales.
"We are hopeful that constructive negotiations can move the process forward, so that further industrial action is not necessary in the future."

In spite of a sales uptick, the firm on Tuesday said net earnings fell 15% to $763m (Â£595m) from $898m in the same period last year.
The firm also lowered its profit guidelines for the year.
The stock price fell on the news, dipping about 3% in early trading on Tuesday.
Lockheed has come under pressure for its F-35 fighter jet program, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.
A report from the US government's auditing arm, the Government Accountability Office, on Monday found that "cascading delays" meant the cost of the programme would run more than $1bn over budget.
US President Donald Trump has also targeted the programme, tweeting in December that it was "out of control." He claimed that negotiations would lead to billions in savings.
Lockheed Martin shares suffer after Trump F-35 tweet
US to buy more F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin
But chief financial officer Bruce Tanner said on a call with analysts that nothing significant had changed to the programme in the last six months, though talk about F-35 costs was "bundled" with pricing for some of the firm's other contracts.
Chief executive Marillyn Hewson said Lockheed profits took a hit this quarter on a defence programme for an international customer.
Lockheed also reduced the value of a joint venture in the Middle East, which is not seeing as much demand as expected.
But she said a "volatile" international environment suggests that military spending may increase, including in the US.
Lockheed sales in the first quarter were up 6.6%, to $11.1bn, from the same period in 2016.
"We remain hopeful that progress will continue to be made in this area and upcoming legislation will include the increases necessary to equip and maintain our fighting forces," she said.
An elderly woman, who was stuck in her bath for four days, was rescued by a waitress who realised she had not come in for her usual lunch and wine.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
Further education college lecturers have approved a national pay offer in a trade union ballot after months of dispute.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
Unexpected losses related to international business dragged down first-quarter profits at US defence giant Lockheed Martin.