Replacing a dryer looks like one event: a truck arrives and the old machine leaves. In practice it is four handoffs. The order and the fit come first, then the delivery, then the hookup, and then the first real load. Each handoff can fail in a way that is easy to miss, and each one needs a named person checking it. Treat the whole sequence as one job with a checklist.
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.
Before the order: fit, power, and vent
Measure the space, including the depth with the door open and the clearance behind the unit for the vent. Find out whether the outlet or hookup matches the new model. Electric dryers need the right voltage and plug. Gas dryers need a gas line and a shutoff valve in the right place. Check the vent path from the dryer to the outside. Note its length and the number of bends, and ask the retailer or installer whether the new model's venting needs match what is already there. Do not assume the old setup carries over.
At delivery: who is home and what is included
Confirm the delivery window and the name of the person who will be there to meet the crew. Ask whether the crew only delivers or also connects the unit, whether they can carry it up stairs or through a narrow door, and whether they take the old machine away. If haul-away is charged separately, ask what the terms are. Ask what happens to the old vent duct, since it may need replacing with the new unit. Get all of this in writing before the crew arrives.
At hookup: check each connection before the crew leaves
Ask the installer to run a short test cycle while they are still in the room. Look at the vent: it should be connected tightly at both ends, with no kinks crushing the duct, and the exhaust should blow outside. For a gas unit, ask for a leak check at every joint and at the shutoff valve. If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call the gas utility from outside. Check that the unit sits level so the drum does not rattle. Ask the installer to show you where the lint filter is and how to clean it.
The first real load
Run a load of towels you can see and feel. The drum should turn, the unit should heat without a burning smell, and the exhaust should be warm, not hot. Pull the lint filter when the cycle ends and look at how much came out. Write the model number and serial number in a place the household can find, and send in the warranty registration. Set a reminder to check the vent again in a month, since lint builds up faster than most people expect.
The job is done when the old machine is gone, the new one completes a full cycle, and the person who keeps the house knows where the paperwork is. Anything less is still an open job.