The night
The Bedroom Move Shows Its Worth in the Dark: Walk the Night Route, the Stairs, and Who Sleeps Near
A move to a new bedroom can make nights easier or harder, so count the route, the stairs, and the sleeping spots before anything gets carried.
Moving a bedroom can make nights easier or harder, and the difference shows up in the dark. Before anyone carries a box, walk the route she would take at night, count what she passes, and decide who sleeps nearby. Ask these questions while the new room is still empty.
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.
Walk the night route
Stand at the door of the new bedroom and walk to the bathroom with the lights off, using only the lights you would really have at night. Note every step, every turn, every door you pass, and every threshold where the floor changes from carpet to tile or wood. If you have to feel your way along the wall, the route needs work before she moves in.
Check the stairs and the view
If the move means going up or down stairs, decide whether she will use them at dusk at all. Count the steps and check for a landing where she can pause. If the new room is downstairs, check whether the front door is in view from the bed. A room that looks out on the street can hold her attention at the hour when attention is hardest to steer.
Check the door and the sound
Look at which way the door swings and what the handle looks like from her side of the room. Stand in the spot where the family member or helper would sleep and listen. You should be able to hear her move about, but she should not hear every noise from the hall or the kitchen.
Ask who is near
Decide who sleeps closest to her new room and who sleeps farther down the hall. Write the names down. Ask whether that person wakes easily, whether they know the route, and whether they will walk it with her once in daylight so the route is already familiar. Bring over the pieces she knows, such as her own quilt and her favorite chair, so the room feels like hers before the first night.
Make the move in daylight, well before the late afternoon, so she has time to settle in. The government and nonprofit pages behind these notes are listed at Sources.