Sounds like a good plan. My wife has had some health issues and arthritic hands. She has an S&W 642 w/crimson trace for bedside/home, but I bought her a Beretta Bobcat (.22) for carry. She has trouble racking the slide on auto's, but can flip the barrel and load the first round that way. Better than nothing!
Word to the wise: I've been told that you should know that anything much more powerful than a .38 will likely deafen you if fired in a car. Have not, thank goodness, had to test that theory!