Managed to secure the front door for my grandma without locking her in

I went trough the same thing with my dad and a Schlage Encode we put on the side door. He kept trying to go check the mail at 3 AM, which was terrifying because our porch has a steep five-inch step down that he’s tripped on before. The scheduling feature is nice, but I actually had to go a step further because he started getting frustrated when his code wouldn't work. We ended up adding a simple flip-lock way up high, about six feet up, where he doesn't think to look. It’s not smart, but it's a solid backup for when the restricted access window isn't enough. We also put a contact sensor on the frame that pings my phone immediately if the door opens. Combining the smart keypad with a basic physical deterrent helped us sleep much better. It's a tough balance between keeping them safe and not making them feel like they're locked in a cage, but the peace of mind is huge.

While the scheduled codes are clever, we had to move away from smart locks entirely becasue the constant beeping and red flashing lights when a code was "expired" caused my dad alot of distress. He’d start rattling the handle, wich eventually stripped the internal gears on our old August lock. We ended up installing a simple Defender Security U 10308 flip lock about six and a half feet up the door frame. Since it’s way above his natural eye level, he doesn't even realize it’s there; he just assumes the door is stuck and moves back to his chair. It’s a bit low-tech, but it saved us from the 2 AM "entry denied" alarms and kept the dogs from nudging the lever handle open. Plus, it’s much faster for us to flick open in an emergency than fumbling with a phone app or a keypad.

I had to swap out our lever handles for round knobs. My uncle could still figure out a lever even when he was confused, but the round knobs were harder for him to grip with his arthritis. Then I added one of those clear plastic safety covers over the knob. It spins if you don't know the trick to squeeze the tabs. It’s cheap, looks like nothing special, and saved us from having to drill more holes in the door frame for high-up latches. Total cost was maybe fifteen bucks at the hardware store and it's held up for over a year now.