When nobody is home, the hospice nurse or a hired caregiver still needs a way through the front door. A key with a neighbor works until the neighbor is away. A key box or keypad on the door frame is a common answer, and the questions left are who mounts it, who keeps the code, and what happens when the arrangement ends.
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.
What the installer checks
Whether you hire or do it yourself, the same things need checking. What the frame is made of, and how far the fasteners can go into it without cracking the trim. Where the box sits compared to the handle, the strike plate, and the weatherstripping, so it does not stop the door from closing. Whether the door is wood, steel, or fiberglass, because each takes a different fastener. Those are the questions to ask anyone who quotes the job.
When you can do it yourself
A simple key box on a solid wood or masonry frame is a reasonable job for a person with a drill, the right bits, and an afternoon. Hold the box in place with the door closed, mark the holes, and check the marks against the handle and the weatherstrip before you drill. Test the box with the door open and with the door closed. If the door binds or the box rattles, stop and rework the position before you tighten the last screw.
When to hire it
Hire the job if the frame is metal, the door is steel, the box is a keypad that needs wiring or a battery mount inside the lock, or you cannot find fasteners that hold in the frame. Ask the locksmith to show you the fasteners they plan to use and where they go. Ask them to set the new code on a keypad in front of you, and write the code down where you can find it.
Who keeps the code
Write down who has the code and which visitor uses it. Confirm the hospice team has it, and that the hired caregiver has it only for the hours they work. When a caregiver's schedule ends or a team member leaves, change the code or the key. This is a household decision, and it belongs to the family, not to the visitors.
Test it before the first real visit
Have the person who will use the box try it on a weekday, before the first visit that depends on it. A lockbox that opens on the first try in daylight may still stick in the rain. Try it once with the lights off and once in wet weather, if you can, and note the result on the same page as the code.