Most families hear about one fall, the one that made the news in the house. The night trips that come before and after it usually go unnoticed. A simple count shows whether the route is the problem or whether something else is going on.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Keep a count without waking her

Put a notebook or a note on the phone by the bed where you can see it. Each time you hear her get up, or you notice she is not in bed, write down the time she left and the time she came back. You do not need to wake her, and you do not need to ask questions. The count is what you are after.

Note what the trip looks like

Next to each time, write down whether she turned on a light, whether she touched a wall or a piece of furniture, whether she paused at the bed edge, and whether she came back to bed without using the bathroom. These details tell you where the route is asking more of her than it should.

Look for the pattern

Several trips in one night, trips that come back within a short time, and trips that end with no bathroom use are the patterns to look for. A single trip on a single night is not a pattern. A count across a week is. Read the notes each morning and mark the trips that were close to a fall, even if none happened.

Know what the count can and cannot tell you

The count shows the route and the timing. It does not show why the trips happen. If the number of trips changes, if she seems more tired or unsteady, or if the trips come with new symptoms, take the notes to the physician. That question belongs to the physician, not to the route.

What to write down

At the end of each week, add up the trips, the trips with a pause, and the trips with a wall or furniture touch. Write down the date range of the count, the bed and bathroom locations, and the one stop where the trip most often went wrong. Bring the count to the appointment, and keep it on the fridge or in the drawer where the other family papers are kept.