A phone only does its job if it is charged, updated, and answering, and someone is responsible for each of those. When nobody owns the phone, it goes flat on the nightstand and the check-in quietly stops happening. Give the phone one owner, one charging spot, and one replacement plan before you count on it.
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.
Give the phone one charging spot
Pick the outlet and the place on the nightstand or kitchen counter where the phone sleeps at night. Keep the charger there and nowhere else. Check the cord whenever you are in the house; a cord that bends or sparks gets replaced, not taped. If she forgets to plug it in, a plug-in timer or a routine tied to something she already does can help, but test it first so the phone is not left unplugged all day.
Own the updates and the passcode
Updates are the job most likely to be forgotten, and they often arrive with a prompt she does not understand. Decide who handles them, usually you from far away, with her agreement and while she is awake and in the room. Write the passcode and the account owner in the folder, kept where only the people she has chosen can reach it. Ask her which calls she wants answered and which numbers she wants saved under names she recognizes.
Pick the person who fixes it
When the screen cracks or the phone stops ringing, someone local has to be able to take it in for repair or sit with her while it is fixed. Ask a neighbor, a friend from church, or a local helper whether they can do that, and write the name and number in the folder. The Local Help for a St. Louis Parent page is a good place to start looking for that person.
Set the replacement check and the backup
Phones wear out. Put a replacement check on the calendar once a year, and keep a backup number that rings a landline or a second phone if the main one fails. Confirm the backup works by calling it. Test that the ringer is loud enough to hear from the next room and that the volume is set where she can use it without fumbling.
What to do tonight
Call her and ask her to show you where the phone sleeps at night, then move the charger to that spot if it is not already there. Ask the neighbor or local person who might handle a repair whether they are willing to be the first call. Then put the first replacement check on the calendar.
What to leave with the doctor
Tell the doctor if she has trouble seeing or hearing the screen, if she says she missed calls she expected to get, or if she cannot remember a passcode she used before. Those are practical details that may affect what help she needs at home. Do not give the doctor the account password.