Setting up a call screen in her home sounds like one job. It is usually four or five small jobs, and each one needs either hands in the room or a phone guide from far away. Sort them before you decide who does what.

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.

The jobs

Placing the device: stand it or mount it at eye level, in the spot where she sits most, with the screen angled toward the chair and not the window glare. A stand that tips is a problem on day one.

Power: a charging cable long enough to reach an outlet without a strip on the floor, and a spare cable kept in the same place.

Signal: check the Wi-Fi strength in the room where calls happen. A weak signal means someone has to walk the house with a phone, which usually means hands in the room.

Settings: a screen timeout long enough that the display does not dim during a call, volume she can hear, text she can read, and updates set for a time she is not in the middle of something.

Contacts: one large button that calls you, with your name and photo on it, so she does not have to scroll.

What you can do from far away

You can set up the settings, save the contacts, and place a test call from your end. You can talk her through the settings on a call if she is comfortable with a screen. You can ask her to read the Wi-Fi name off the router label and show you where the device sits.

What needs someone in the room

Mounting on a wall, running cable along a baseboard, and walking the house to measure signal all need hands in the room. A neighbor, a family friend, or a local installer can do those jobs. If you use a paid installer, ask for the scope in writing: what is installed, what is tested, and who comes back if the signal drops. Local help for a St. Louis parent lists local people who can do in-room work.

Privacy and consent

Some devices can answer calls automatically or stay connected in a room. Do not turn on automatic answering without her agreement. Talk through what the device can and cannot do, and who can see or hear what. Write down her answer.

What to do tonight

Ask her to read the Wi-Fi name from the router and tell you where the screen sits. Make one test call with the screen aimed at her chair. Note what you can see and hear from your end.

What to leave with the doctor

Ask whether any change in how she sees or hears should shape the screen size, the volume, or the position on a call. Bring the notes from your test call, including what she could read and what she could not. Ask the doctor what to watch for on video visits, if the practice offers them.