Mom's walk from the bed to the bathroom is the one she makes in the dark most often, so that is where light has to work first. Motion lights are a simple fix, but they only help if they are placed for the actual walk, tested in the dark, and kept running after you fly home.
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.
Walk the route before you buy anything
Ask her to walk from the bed to the bathroom at her usual hour while you are on a video call or on speaker. Watch where she stops, where she reaches for the wall, and where the floor changes: a rug edge, a threshold, the top step if there is one. Those spots are where light matters, not the middle of the room. Note where the existing switches are and whether she can reach them without stepping into the dark first.
Choose the type by the outlet and the battery route
Plug-in motion lights need an outlet that furniture does not block and that stays on. Battery units need someone to change the batteries on a set day, written in the folder. Anything that needs new wiring is a licensed electrician's job, and it may need a permit, so ask the electrician to confirm the local rule before work starts. Ask any seller for the sensing range and how long the light stays on, and check that the sensor is not aimed at a heating vent or a window that will trigger it all night.
Who buys, who mounts, who tests
Decide who does each step before anything arrives. You can order from far away, while a local neighbor or handyman mounts it, and you or she can test it. Keep the receipts and the install date in one place. Ask the installer to walk the route with her present, not only to leave the unit on the wall. Aim the light low so it lights the floor and does not shine into her eyes when she turns around.
Test it in the dark and keep it running
Turn off the room lights and walk the route yourself on video, or have her do it. Confirm the light comes on before she reaches the first step, stays on long enough to finish the walk, and does not go out in the middle. Then set a monthly check: sensor clean, batteries or plug working, light aimed the same way. Put that check in the folder with a name beside it.
What to do tonight
Ask her to walk the bed-to-bathroom route at her usual time and tell you where she stopped or reached for the wall. Write down the three spots where the light should go. Then find one local person who can mount and test the lights on a day you choose, starting with the options on the Local Help for a St. Louis Parent page.
What to leave with the doctor
Bring the walk notes, not the product sheets. Tell the doctor about night bathroom trips, any dizziness when she stands up in the dark, and any near-falls or stumbles on that route. Those details help the doctor decide what to ask next. The lights themselves are not a medical item.