Mmy grandmother had to wear special shoes because of a leg surgery that left one leg several inches shorter than the other. This caused a distinct shuffling-tapping sound that was very distinctive whenever she walked anywhere in our house (we lived with her mother) because we had hardwood floors everywhere.
I came home from college one night, at least a year after she died, and was sleeping on the couch in the living room. It's connected to the kitchen in our very petite house, and I heard a shuffling-thumping sound that traveled into the kitchen, where it stopped, and the coffee maker turned on. My grandmother was a coffee addict. I can only assume there's no caffeine on the other end.