A night light is only useful on the route if it still works when the power is out, and power often goes out at night when nobody is watching. Before you buy one, or before you decide the one she has is enough, check what it does when the house goes dark. The route in this guide runs from the bed edge to the hall and on to the toilet, so the light has to reach all three.
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.
Check the outage behavior first
Ask the question directly: what happens to this light when the power fails? Some lights are plug-in only and go dark with the outlet. Others have a battery that takes over. Read the label and the instructions, and if they are unclear, ask the seller for the printed specification before you pay.
Check whether it turns on by itself. A light that needs a button pressed in the dark is no help to a person who has just got up from the bed.
Check the run time and the recharge
Find the run time the maker states in the specification, and note whether it is stated for a full charge or a partial one. Then ask how the battery is recharged. A light that recharges only when the outlet is live needs the main power back before it can help again. Ask whether it charges while the room light is in use, and whether it switches off by itself when the power returns, so it does not stay on and drain.
Test the route in the dark
Do this with the room light off and the power on, so you can cut the power safely at the breaker or unplug the light for the test. Start at the bed edge and walk the route with a second adult standing by. Check that the light reaches the bed edge, the hall corner, and the toilet, and that she does not have to aim a phone flashlight to find the edge of a rug. Test the button or switch from the bed, where her hand will actually land.
Name the battery owner
Decide who checks the battery, who replaces it, and who buys the replacement. A battery that is flat during an outage is the same as no light. Put the owner and the check interval in writing, and write down the replacement battery type so nobody has to guess it in the dark.
What to write down
Write the outage behavior, the run time from the specification, how the light recharges, the result of your route test, and the name of the battery owner. For the route test, write the stop where the light reached and the stop where it did not. If she seemed confused or unsteady in the dark during the test, that is a point to raise with her physician, not a fixture problem to solve by buying a new light.
The first ten minutes after a fall guide covers what to do if she falls in the dark. The local help page covers where to get help in St. Louis if the route needs a second person to check it, and the sources page lists where the outage and battery guidance comes from.