Nobody plans to run out of wipes on a Saturday night. It happens because the supply shelf is checked by eye, once it looks low, and by then the nearest open store may be a long drive away and the errand falls to whoever is still awake. The fix is not more storage. It is a count, a number that means reorder, and a clear answer to who buys.
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.
Find out what the hospice already supplies
Before you buy anything, ask the hospice team in writing which supplies come through the agency, which come through the equipment vendor, and which the family buys. Ask for the list itself. Coverage for supplies depends on the plan of care and on what the team has ordered, so the answer is specific to your parent and not to hospice in general. Keep the list where the supplies are kept. Items the team has named as needed are the ones most worth keeping in stock, because a gap in them is the one the team will want to know about.
Count once a week, on the same day
Pick one day and one person. Count what is on the shelf and what is in the bag under the bed. Write the numbers on one line each: gloves, underpads, briefs, wipes, plastic bags, the skin products the nurse has shown you, and anything else used every day. A number on a card in a visible place is worth more than a memory of how many were in the box last week.
Set the reorder point
For each item, decide the lowest count you will accept before the next order goes in. A workable starting point is enough to last until the next delivery day, plus a margin for a bad night. You will know the margin is right when you have not had to make an emergency run in a month. Write the reorder point next to the item. When the count reaches it, the order goes in that day, not when the box is empty.
Decide who orders and how
Name one person who places the order, and name a backup. Find out whether the pharmacy, the medical supply company, or a store you already use can deliver, and what their cutoff time is. Ask about delivery days and fees before you open an account, because a rush fee is a cost you can plan for or be surprised by. If a hired caregiver is in the house, they may pick up items as an errand from a list you have written, but the quantities and the count stay with the family.
What to watch for
If the same item has been bought twice in one week, or the count drops faster than the plan would explain, tell the hospice nurse. The count is not a judgment about the family. It is information the team can use when they review the plan.