Most families set up a night drawer once and never check it again. Six months later the flashlight is dead, the phone is at 9 percent, and the list of numbers is for a neighbor who moved. The drawer only works if someone keeps it working, so this guide is about that upkeep.
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.
What belongs in the drawer
Keep the phone within reach of the bed, on a charger that is easy to find in the dark. Keep a flashlight that turns on without a fight, with spare batteries next to it. Keep her glasses in the same spot every night if she wears them at night. Keep a card with the address, the bathroom route, and the phone numbers for the people who should come first. Keep medicine out of this drawer. Its storage and use stay with the family and her pharmacist's instructions.
The regular check
Once a month, turn the flashlight on and off, and check that the phone charges and the ringer is on. Replace batteries before they run low rather than after they fail. Wipe the glasses and make sure they are where they should be. Read the number card and cross out anyone who no longer answers. Write the date of the check on the card, so the next person knows when it was last done.
Name one owner, and one backup
Pick one person whose job is the drawer. Shared jobs get skipped, so the family should not all assume someone else will do it. Name a backup for the weeks the owner is away. Put both names on the number card, so anyone who visits knows whom to ask.
If you are new to this desk, the Start here: a reading path page lists the other guides in order, so you can read the drawer guide alongside the rest of the night plan.