Snow clearing sounds like one job until you measure it. The walk, the drive, the steps, the stretch to the mailbox, and the path to the back door are separate pieces. Each one needs a different tool, a different amount of melt, and a different person on the callout list. Measure first. The decision in front of you is not how to clear snow in general. It is how much clearing Mom's house asks for, and who can cover it.
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 property with a tape
Measure the front walk, the driveway, any side path, and the steps, including how many there are and how high each rise sits. Write the lengths down. Note where the rail is and which side it is on. Note the path you actually use to reach the car and the back door, since that path matters more in a storm than the one on the original plan. Sizing starts with the lengths, not with the bag of melt already sitting in the garage.
Match the tool to the surface
A wide shovel suits a long driveway. A narrower one suits steps and a tight walk. A push-style clearer can cover a flat run quickly if the person using it has the strength and reach for it. Choose the handle length by the person who will hold the tool, not the person who buys it. If the one doing the work is you, try the tool on the driveway before the first storm, not in the middle of one.
Size the melt to the freeze
Plan the amount of melt for the walk, the steps, and the landing, then add a little for the second pass. In St. Louis, the freeze after a thaw is what catches people out, so plan for the icy morning as well as the snowy afternoon. Keep the bag where the person clearing can reach it without going through a cold garage first.
Plan the callout
Decide who goes out after a storm and when. The early pass, before the surface sets into ice, matters most. Write down the name of the person who does the first pass, the backup who covers when that person is away, and the name of the person who calls a service if the job is bigger than the family can handle. Put the arrangement in the family group so nobody discovers at six in the morning that the walk is still under ice.
Check where the snow goes
Pile the snow where it will not block the walk, the car, the mailbox, or a drain. Ask your city or county whether there is a rule for clearing the public sidewalk in front of the house, and follow it if there is. Mom's clearing plan should leave a clear route from the door to the car and back, even if the rest of the yard is buried.
Walk the route before you call it done
Walk the cleared route yourself while it is still dry. If a step is slick, add melt or sand where it sits. If Mom would need a hand on the rail at a spot you missed, mark it on your list. Any question about whether walking on ice is safe for her belongs with her doctor or therapist, not in the snow plan. The plan's job is to keep the route clear and the responsible person known.