You are doing this because your parent reaches for clothes at the wrong height, or cannot reach them at all from a seated position. The fix is a lowered rod, and it is a job you can finish in one afternoon if you do the steps in order.
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.
Step one: measure from the chair, not from the wall
Sit your parent in the chair they use most, or have them stand where they stand to dress. Mark the spot where their hand rests comfortably to lift a hanger. Measure from the floor to that point, then measure how far forward they can reach without leaning. Write both numbers down. The rod goes at the height you measured, not at the height that looks right to you standing up.
Step two: check the closet and the shelf
Look at what is already there. Is the existing rod a round tube sitting in two end brackets? Is there a shelf above it that will need to move? Check how deep the closet is and whether a walker or wheelchair needs to clear the door swing. The front of the closet has to stay open enough for a seated person to pull clothes out without the hangers catching on the door frame.
Step three: pick the kit by its load rating
Buy a rod and bracket kit that prints a load rating on the package or in the manual. Compare that rating with what will hang on the rod, including heavy coats that get wet. Check the bracket type. End brackets that screw into studs are sturdier than clip-on brackets that rest on drywall. If you cannot tell where the studs are, plan on a stud finder and use the hardware that came with the kit, not whatever is in the junk drawer.
Step four: find the studs and draw one level line
Use the stud finder to locate two studs in the closet wall. Mark each stud center at the height you measured in step one. Hold a level across both marks and draw a single pencil line. Both brackets sit on that line. Do not set the first bracket and eyeball the second. A rod that tilts looks fine for a week, then pulls a bracket loose under load.
Step five: drill, mount, and seat the rod
Drill pilot holes into the studs using the bit size the manual gives, then drive the screws until each bracket is snug and does not turn. Slide the rod into the brackets and lock it in place. Do not use a bracket that spins on its screw, and do not use a drywall anchor where a stud should be.
Step six: test it the way it will be used
Hang a load close to what the closet will really carry, such as a bag of winter clothes, and leave it for a few minutes. Then pull down on the rod with a firm hand, the way someone steadies themselves while reaching. Check the brackets for movement, the screws for any lifting, and the rod for sag at the center. If anything moves, stop, take the bracket off, and find a better anchor point. Do not add a second screw to the same hole.
What stays with the family
This is a household fix, not a medical one. If your parent cannot stand at the closet at all, that question belongs to their doctor or therapist, not to a closet project. Put the measurements from step one in the same folder as the kit manual, so the next person who touches that wall knows the height.