Gutters fill slowly, then overflow in one wet week. The first sign is usually water coming off the edge in a sheet instead of running into the downspout. Whether you clean them yourself or hire it out depends less on skill than on a few physical facts about this one house.
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.
Measure the height and the pitch
Find the height of the eave from the ground, either by asking someone on site or by checking photos your parent can take from the yard. A short single-story run is a different job from a two-story house with a steep roof. If the ladder must lean against the gutter edge rather than the wall, treat the job as one for a crew.
Check the ground under the ladder
Soft lawn, a slope, a driveway edge, or a sidewalk you cannot close off all make the footing unreliable. A ladder needs a flat, firm base and a second person who is watching it, not someone holding a phone.
Know what you are clearing out
Leaves and seed debris can be scooped by hand from a short run. Packed grit, roots, or a section that sags away from the fascia is more than a cleaning job and may need someone to fix the hangers. Note where water sits after rain. Standing water near the foundation is worth reporting to whoever checks the house.
Compare the two options honestly
If you do the work yourself, the cost is your parent's safety and your own afternoon. If a crew does it, the cost is a visit you have to schedule across the distance. Ask for a written note of what gets cleaned, whether the downspouts are flushed, and whether debris is bagged and taken away. A crew that will not put that in writing is telling you something.
What to do tonight
Ask a neighbor or the person who looks in on your parent to check the gutters from the ground. Have them report whether water runs in a stream or spills over the edge, whether any section visibly sags, and whether the ground at the likely ladder spots is firm. Send the answers to yourself, then choose ground, crew, or wait until a set date. Do not ask anyone to climb up to answer the question.