Hospice visits are scheduled, but they do not always arrive at an hour when someone can get to the door. A nurse may come while the family is asleep upstairs, a helper may arrive before anyone is up, or a relative may need to get in during a long night. A key lockbox solves the access problem, but only if it is planned, mounted, tested, and logged in order. Done out of order, it becomes a box that nobody can open in the dark.
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.
Step one: decide who needs in, and when
Write the list of people who will use the box. Usually that means the hospice team, any hired helper, and one or two family members. For each one, note the hours they are likely to come, including daytime, when the family may be out at an appointment, and whether they will need a code, a physical key, or both. Ask the hospice team how they prefer to gain access, since some agencies have their own rules for lockboxes and may want a particular type.
Step two: check the rules before you drill
If the house is in a neighborhood with an association, or if you rent, check whether outdoor fixtures are allowed and whether a landlord or association needs to approve the mount. Look at the siding, brick, or stone where the box will go, and find the studs or the post before you choose hardware. A lockbox hung on loose trim will be the first thing to come off.
Step three: choose the spot and the mount
Pick a place near the main entrance that is easy to read in low light but not so prominent that it draws attention from the street. Mount it at a height a standing or seated person can reach and see comfortably. Use the hardware that came with the box, and choose fasteners that suit the wall material. Tighten until the box does not move when you pull on it. Keep the spot clear of the path that the trash bins and the mail carrier use.
Step four: set the code and write down who has it
Set the code with the people who will use it, and nobody else. Keep a written record in the household binder that lists who has the code and what it is for. Do not tape the code to the box or write it on the door frame. Choose a code that is not a birthday or a street number, and change it when someone's access ends, such as when a helper stops coming or a family member steps back from the arrangement.
Step five: test it in the dark
Test the box yourself at the hour it is most likely to be used. Stand where a visitor would stand, enter the code, and open the box. Remove the key and put it back. Close the box and confirm that it locks. Then have the person who will use it run the same test once. A box that works in daylight with the family watching may behave differently when the light is low, the hands are cold, or the person is in a hurry, so the test should include some of those conditions.
Step six: keep it working
Check the mount each season, especially after storms and before the cold weather sets in. If the box is electronic, replace its batteries on the schedule the maker gives, and note that schedule in the binder. When the box shows wear, a loose mount, or a sticking dial, fix it before someone is standing outside at the wrong hour. Remove any access that no longer applies. A maintained lockbox gives the people who need the house a reliable way in, and it gives the family one less thing to worry about at night.