The Spare Key Needs One Owner: Keep the Deadbolt Turning, the Spare Found, and the Inside Turn Clear

At dusk, the lock on the front door does two jobs. It keeps the door closed when you want it closed, and it lets anyone in the house leave quickly if they need to. Most households test only the first job. This guide is about the second one, and about the spare key that sits between the two.

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Test the inside turn first

Stand inside the door as if you were leaving in a hurry, with the light low and your hand where it would naturally go. Can you turn the deadbolt without a key? Does the knob or lever release the latch in one motion? Open the door fully and check that nothing blocks the swing, such as a runner rug, a coat rack, or a bag of recycling. Do this at the hour Mom usually heads for the door, because that is the hour the lock will actually be used.

If the deadbolt needs a key on the inside, write that down as a plain fact. Some older doors were fitted that way, and some are fitted that way on purpose. Ask a locksmith or your local fire department what they recommend for your particular door, and whether a change would need a permit or the landlord's approval. On a rented door, do not replace the lock until you have asked.

Name one spare and one holder

A spare key is only useful if it is in a place you can find in the dark. Choose one spare, then write its location on the phone list card, in the same drawer every time. Then choose one person who holds it. That person is the one who answers when the door is found locked and the key is needed fast.

Ask three questions of whoever you name. Can you reach me at dusk? Do you know exactly where the spare is? Would you bring it on the first call, not the fourth? If the answer to any of these is no, choose someone else, or keep a copy with a neighbor who has agreed to hold it.

Keep the key where it works

Do not hang the spare on a hook beside the door. A key that a visitor can see, or that Mom can carry out with her coat, has the wrong owner. Keep one spare in a lockbox out of sight, or with the neighbor. Keep a second copy with the holder. Write the lockbox code where the holder can read it, and make sure the holder knows the code without having to ask you for it.

Write the check into the month

Once a month, on the same day, have the holder try the spare. Turn it in the lock and confirm it still turns smoothly. Check that the holder still lives close enough to come, that the phone number still rings, and that the neighbor has not moved away. Note the date of the check on the card with the key location. This small record is what keeps the plan working.

The question that matters most is who does the check. Name that person on the same card. If the person changes, the card changes the same day.

What to compare

If you are weighing a keyed deadbolt against a thumb-turn or keyless version, compare three things. Which one turns from the inside without a key. Which one a locksmith or fire official says suits the door you actually have. Which one your household can keep working, meaning who replaces the batteries, cleans the strike plate, and calls for a repair when something sticks. Do not decide on looks or on what a catalog says. Decide on what the door does at dusk.

For the order of the whole evening, read Start Here: Dusk to Morning, in Order. For local phone lines to copy onto the card, see Lifelines: Dementia Help in St. Louis.