The House
The Gate Latch Is a Weekend Job. The Fence Line Is Not. Decide Which One You Are Doing
Moving a latch or adding a self-closing hinge is often a job you can do yourself, but replacing a fence line or changing a shared boundary is usually a job for a professional, so decide which one you are holding before you pick up a drill.
A yard gate can make a real difference in the evening, when Mom is restless and the back door is the first thing she reaches for. Before you buy anything, sort the job, because a latch change and a fence replacement call for very different hands.
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.
Sort the job before you buy parts
There are two jobs here. One is changing the latch, hinge, or closer on a gate you already have. The other is building, moving, or replacing a gate or a fence line. The first is often a household task. The second may need a permit, a property line check, and someone who does that work for a living.
What you can often do yourself
Many families can move a latch to a spot that is harder for Mom to reach or see through, add a self-closing hinge so the gate swings shut on its own, or fit a gate alarm that sounds when the gate opens. Check that every screw goes into solid wood or metal, not just into the gate's surface. After each change, push and pull the gate and make sure it holds.
When to hire it out
Hire someone when the posts are loose, rotted, or set in concrete you cannot safely move, when the gate is part of a fence section that needs replacing, when the work changes what a neighbor can see or reach, when the gate opens onto a street, or when your city says a permit is required. Ask any installer whether they pull the permit themselves and whether they will test the latch with you before they leave.
Keep one exit that opens from inside
Before you change any latch, make sure every gate and door can still be opened from the inside without a key or a tool. A latch that Mom cannot work may also be one a helper cannot work quickly in an emergency. Keep a spare key where a family member or helper can reach it without searching.
Compare quotes on the same list
If you hire, give each installer the same written list: the height of the latch, the hinge type, the condition of the posts, whether the new gate matches the old opening, what gets cleaned up, and what the warranty covers. Ask who comes back if the latch sticks or the gate sags a few months later, and get that answer in writing.
Ask the city and check the line before any digging
Ask your local building office whether fence or gate work needs a permit, and confirm where the property line sits before anyone digs. A survey or the official property markers are a better guide than a neighbor's memory of where the line was.
A gate that works is quiet and a little dull to check, and that is exactly what you want from it.