You know the draft before you can name it. Mom says the front room is cold near the window, or you notice a bit of daylight under the back door, or the tub edge has gone dark and spongy where it meets the wall. The fix sounds small, a tube of caulk and a strip of foam tape, and that is exactly why it keeps getting pushed to next weekend. Caulk and weatherstripping are a good job to decide on deliberately, because it is one of those jobs that looks like a Saturday and turns into three.
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Walk the house once with a flashlight
Before you buy anything, go around the house at dusk with a flashlight and a piece of paper. Hold the light against each window frame, each exterior door, and the seam where the tub meets the wall. Note what you actually see: cracked or peeling caulk, a gap you can slide a fingernail into, a door sweep that no longer touches the threshold, or daylight around the frame. Mark anything that is wet, soft, or discolored separately, because that is a different conversation than a draft. If you find soft wood or water staining near a tub or window, stop and have someone who knows building repair look at it before you seal over it.
Decide who can safely reach it
Most of this work is easy at ground level and uncomfortable above it. A ground-floor window frame and a bathroom tub edge are reachable from solid footing. A second-story window, a gable, or the top of a door frame needs a stable ladder and a second person holding it, and that second person should not be someone who is also trying to keep an eye on Mom. If the only way up is a rolling stool or a chair, that is your answer. Hire it out for anything above your comfortable reach, and do not let the cost of a single visit talk you into balancing on a folding step.
Compare the scope, not the total
When you talk to a crew or a handyman, ask them to describe the job in steps, not as a single number. Ask whether they remove the old caulk or only lay new over it, because new caulk over old usually fails sooner. Ask what product they use and whether it suits a tub, a window, or an exterior surface, since they are not interchangeable. Ask how long the seal needs before water or foot traffic, and whether that means the bathroom is out of use for a while. Ask who cleans up the tube residue and the tape backing, and whether they will touch the siding or trim beyond the gap. A quote that says Seal the Tub and Doors can mean very different amounts of work, so make them write out the list.
Check the rules that apply to your house
If Mom rents, or lives in a condo or a community with an association, look at the lease or the rules before you change anything on the outside of the building. A window or exterior door may be covered by a rule about what can be changed. If the tub or the windows came with a warranty, read what it says about sealing or repairs before a non-approved crew works near them. A short phone call can save you from paying twice.
Plan the room around the work
Whoever does the job, plan the room. Move the bath mat, the cups, and the spare towels out before you start. Clear a path to the bathroom and keep it clear until the caulk is fully set. Read the cure time on the tube and write it on the calendar, because it varies by product and by weather. Open a window and run the fan while you work, and keep Mom out of the room while solvents or fresh caulk are in use. These are simple steps, and they are the ones people skip when they are in a hurry.
A simple rule for your own week
Do the ground-floor, reachable, one-room gaps yourself if you have a steady afternoon and a second pair of hands. Hire out the high window, the whole-house draft survey, and any spot where you found water or soft wood. If you split the job, put the DIY part on the kids' row when someone is home to help, and put the hired visit on Mom's row so the crew arrives during her quiet hours. Either way, write the list of what you checked, who did it, and when it cures, so the next draft does not start with a search through your memory.