The house
The Bathroom Lock Is a Fit Question: Check the Push Button, the Door Swing, and Who Can Get In
A bathroom lock decides whether the room she closes herself into can also be opened by whoever is in the hall, so check the release, the swing, and who gets in before the nights get long.
The bathroom is one of the few rooms in the house where the door is meant to close, and that is exactly why it deserves a fit check before the evenings get long. Most bathroom doors have a privacy lock, and most of those locks open from the inside with a push button or a turn. The question for your house is simpler than the brand on the hardware: can someone standing in the hallway open this door without a key, and can Mom open it from the inside without help?
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Check the lock from both sides
Stand in the hallway and close the bathroom door behind you. Look for a keyhole or a small release slot on the outside. If there is a keyhole, find out who in the house holds the key and whether that key lives in the same place every night. If the lock has an outside release, press it and see whether the door opens. Then go inside, close the door, and turn the lock the way Mom would, with a tired hand, in the dark.
Check which way the door swings
A door that swings into the bathroom can be blocked on the other side if she falls, and a door that swings out can be pushed by someone leaning against it. Stand where a helper would stand at night and note whether the door can open all the way. Notice whether a hamper, a bath mat, or a stool sits behind it. Clear the swing path and set the stool somewhere else.
Decide who can get in
Name the person who can open the bathroom door from the hallway in under a minute. In a house with one adult, that may be you. In a house with two adults, it should be the one who is not in the shower. If a hired helper sleeps over, that helper should know where the release is and should have been shown it, not just told. Write the name on the list you keep by the bedroom door.
What to leave alone
Do not remove a lock the house depends on for privacy without a plan for how the door will be opened. Do not add a lock to a bedroom or bathroom that only a key can open. If you are unsure which change fits, ask a locksmith or the building's maintenance person what they would install in a home with an older adult, and ask them to show you the release before they leave.
For the rest of the house in order, start with Start Here: Dusk to Morning, in Order.