At 3am the belt has one job: give you something solid to hold while she sits up, stands, turns, and walks. Choose it in daylight so that in the dark your hand already knows where it is.

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.

Walk the belt through the six stops

Lay the belt on the bed, then picture it at each stop. The bed edge is where she sits up and stands, so you need the hold most there. At the bathroom door and at the toilet she turns and lowers herself, and a belt that slides up her ribs gives you nothing. On the way back you need the same hold again, so the belt has to stay in place going back as well as coming.

What to check before you buy

Width. A wider band spreads the pull across her waist. A narrow strap can dig in, and she is more likely to refuse something that hurts. Pick one you can tighten over her nightclothes without bunching.

Buckle. Choose one you can open with one hand, without looking, with cold fingers. Practice the release with the belt on the bed and the lamp off. If you have to fumble, it will fail you at the toilet.

Handle. The sewn grip is the part you actually hold. Pull on it with real force and check the stitching where the handle meets the strap. Wear shows there first.

Length. Measure her waist over the clothes she sleeps in, then compare with the size chart on the package. Sizing differs from one maker to another, so compare the chart, not the word printed on the box.

Care. Read the washing instructions on the label. A belt that stiffens or shrinks after one wash will not sit the same way next month.

What the belt cannot do

A gait belt does not hold her up by itself, and it does not replace a walker, a grab bar, or a therapist's instruction on how she should be steadied. Ask her physician whether she should be steadied on the night trip at all, and how. Those are clinical questions, so they go to the clinician, not the package insert. If you need a therapist referral in St. Louis, the local help after a fall page lists where to start. For how this desk checks what it says, see How we write this desk.

Write it down

On a card by the bed, record the belt size, the stop where it is used, and the hook where it hangs. Note who holds it on each night trip, whether she accepted it, and anything the therapist told you about where to stand. Bring that card to the next appointment.