Grip strips, suction-cup mats, and stair nosing strips are cheap, but they give out in the same quiet way: edges lift, cups loosen, and the surface goes dull before anyone looks. Keep them working by naming who checks, who replaces, and who cleans, before the surface peels.
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.
List every grip surface
Walk the house with Dad and list each surface that is supposed to grip: the tub or shower floor mat, the bath edge strip, the stair nosings, the entry mat, and any threshold strip near the side door. Note the install date if you know it, or write that you do not know it. An unknown age is a reason to check sooner.
Know what failure looks like
Look for lifted edges, a shiny or slick patch, suction cups that no longer hold when pressed, grit or soap film that builds up, and any tread that rocks or lifts at the corner. Each of these changes the grip. A surface that holds when dry may still slide when wet, so check with water after cleaning, not only when the surface is dry.
Clean without stripping the grip
Use a mild cleaner, rinse well, and dry the surface fully before it is used. Avoid cleaners that leave a film, because film makes a grip surface slide. Scrub grit off with a soft brush, not a wire brush, which can tear the surface. If a strip will not come clean, treat that as a replace signal.
Replace before the failure, not after
Replace a strip when its edge lifts, when the surface goes slick after cleaning, or when a cup no longer holds. Buy the replacement before the old one fails, and keep one spare of each type in the house so the swap is not a week of waiting. Do not stack a new strip over a peeled one, because the base is now the weak point.
Decide who owns the check
Name one person for the monthly check and one for the replacement purchase. If you are the owner, put the check on the calendar. If a hired helper is in the house, they can flag a lifted edge or a loose cup and report it, but the family decides on the replacement. A tread that is cracked, rotted, or pulling away from the stair is a structural problem and goes to a stair professional, not to a new strip.
The next move
Walk the house with Dad this week, mark every grip surface on a list, assign the monthly check to one named person, and put a spare of each type in a closet before you need it. For local help with stair or tread repairs, the Local Help in St. Louis page is the starting point.