Some people sleep in a recliner rather than a bed. The night trip then starts at the chair, not the mattress edge, and the measurements you would take for a bed do not describe it. The questions are how she gets up from the seat, what the footrest does to that move, and whether the first few steps are clear. Take these measurements at night, with the lamp on she would use, because the room looks different in daylight.
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Ask why she sleeps upright
Why she sleeps in a recliner is a clinical question for her doctor. Do not change her sleeping position on your own, and do not assume the chair is the problem to solve. Ask her doctor whether the arrangement still suits her, and bring the nights you have been watching.
Check the seat height
Have her sit in the chair, then stand up, while you stand at the side and watch. Notice whether her feet can land flat on the floor, whether her knees bend without the seat pushing her forward, and whether she has to slide to the front before she can push. A seat that is too low or too deep makes the stand the hardest part of the trip. Write down what you saw: the feet, the knees, the slide.
Check the footrest
A recliner footrest changes the first move. When it is down, it may sit where her feet need to go. Ask her to lift the footrest, then stand, and check whether there is a clear step between the chair and the floor. If the footrest blocks her feet or forces her to step around it in the dark, the trip is harder than it looks from the doorway.
Check the armrests
The armrests are her handholds for the push up. They should be solid, with no rock, slide, or give when she leans on them. Test each one by pressing down with your full weight. If one moves, it becomes a hazard on the trip, and that is a repair to make before anything else.
Clear the first three steps
From the chair to the hallway, the first three steps are the ones that matter most. Look at the floor for cords, slippers, a rug edge, a bag, or a footstool. Keep the light switch or the lamp within reach of the chair so she does not have to stand and search. Put the path from the chair front to the bathroom door in a straight line if the room allows it.
Check the recliner's power and placement
If the recliner is powered, the cord and the outlet location both matter. A cord that runs across the path from the chair is a trip hazard, and so is a chair placed where its back or front blocks the route. If the chair is a power lift model, check that the lift stops where it should and that the seat does not drop when she is partway out of it. Ask the seller and her doctor before you rely on the lift for the night trip.
Write down the room, not the box
Keep a short page with the chair position, the seat height she used, what the footrest did, and the three steps you cleared. Mark what changed and when you changed it. The page is what the next person reads when the chair is moved or replaced. For how this desk handles questions that belong to a clinician, see How we write this desk.