The Night Light Goes Up Before Dark: Mount, Power, and Test a Motion Light Start to Finish

Most falls at night happen on the walk between the bed and the bathroom, and a light that comes on before the first step does more than a bright one that comes on late. The National Institute on Aging's falls prevention guidance recommends good lighting along the routes a person uses at night. This is a job you can do yourself with a plug-in or battery motion light and no wiring work.

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 with the lights off

Before you buy or mount anything, walk the route at night from the bed to the bathroom door with the room lights off. Note the bed edge, the doorway, any rug edge, the threshold, and where a hand would reach for a wall. Those points decide where the light goes.

Choose the type and the power source

A plug-in light with a dusk-to-dawn or motion setting needs an outlet within cord reach that is not covered by furniture. Keep the cord off the walking path. A battery light avoids the cord but needs a battery check on a fixed day. If the only available fixture would need hardwiring, stop and hire a licensed electrician. Do not run new wire yourself.

Mount it low and aim it at the floor

Set the light low enough to light the floor path and high enough that it is not in the eyes of someone walking toward it. Aim it so the sensor covers the start of the route and the bathroom doorway, and check that it does not trigger from the bed in a way that wakes the room every time someone turns over.

Test it after dark

Wait until the room is as dark as it will be at night. Walk the route slowly, at the pace of the person who will use it, with one hand on the wall if that is how they walk. Check three things: the light comes on before the first step, the light is not so bright it blinds on the way in, and the bathroom doorway and floor are clearly visible. Repeat the walk from the bathroom back to the bed.

Set the maintenance line now

Write the battery or bulb check date on a card and tape it inside a cabinet door near the light. Keep one spare battery or bulb where you can find it at night. If the light is replaced later, run this same test again before you trust it.