Most night-route fixes are smaller than they look. One day with the floor plan, a tape measure, a flashlight, and your count can settle which fixes your own household should do and which should go to someone else. The goal is to decide on purpose, not to end up with half a project.

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 your household can do

Clear the path on the floor plan, from bed edge to toilet and back. Move things that sit in a stop, not just beside it. Test the walk with the lights on, then with only the light she will actually use at night, and time each stop with a clock. Mark any spot where the floor changes height or texture with tape she can feel with her foot. Check that the bathroom light switch is where her hand goes first in the dark, not where it goes in daylight.

These changes are easy to reverse, take little effort, and let you see the result the same day. Write down what you changed and what you did not.

What needs a hired person

Anything fixed to a wall, anything that touches wiring or plumbing, anything that changes a doorway, and any move of the bed or the bathroom belongs with a person who does that trade. Ask them to walk the six stops with you before they start. Ask them to write down what they will change at each stop, and to walk the finished route with you before you sign off. Keep the same written-list habit you used for your count.

The first question to ask a hired person is not the price. Ask what they will change at each stop, and how you will check that it works at night.

How to end the Saturday

Finish with a short list in four groups: done by us, hired, waiting on a quote, and not doing. Put the list next to your count and the home-safety report. Anything in the first group should be walked again at night within the week. Anything in the second or third group should not be relied on until it is finished and walked.