Most fall plans are written as if the family is standing in the kitchen. The real question is who can get through the door, how long it takes them, and what happens when the first name on the list does not answer. A plan sized to the household you actually have will hold up on a bad night. A plan sized to an ideal household will not.
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.
Start With the Household as It Is
Write down who lives in the house, who lives nearby, and who has a key or code. A father living alone in a house with a son forty minutes away has a different plan from a father in a duplex with a neighbor on the other side of the wall. Count honestly. Nobody should be counted until they have said yes to being called.
Set the Window
Decide how many minutes it should take for someone who can physically help to reach Dad after a call. Then test it. Drive the route at the hour the plan covers, park where a helper would park, and time the walk to the door. Write the number down as the window the plan actually meets, not the window you hope for.
Two Names for Each Window
One person can be lost to work, sleep, a dead phone, or a long drive. For each window, name at least two people, put them in order, and say what each one does on arrival. The first person may call and check the door. The second may come in and stay with Dad until the emergency response arrives. Do not list anyone who has never agreed to be on the list.
Match the Person to the Task
A neighbor can usually open the door and call for help. Helping someone up from the floor is a different task. Decide in advance whether the person who arrives is trained and willing to lift, or whether the plan says to stay with Dad, keep him warm and calm, and call for trained help. Writing that down keeps a well-meaning helper from injuring either of them.
Size the Response to the House
Ask whether Dad can reach a phone from the floor. Ask whether any household member can call for help on his behalf and whether they know the address and the door code. In a home with two adults, one may be able to call while the other stays with the person who fell. In a home with one adult, the plan has to assume nobody is in the house with him at all.
If the plan needs local help, the St. Louis area resources on Local Help in St. Louis are a place to start.
Next move: this week, write the names, phone numbers, and window minutes on one page, drive the route once at the hour the plan covers, and call each name on the list to confirm they will answer during that window. Replace anyone who says no.