Even though the attack is spotty, it's probably deer. Nothing else would eat a whole perennial like that (rabbits are too short). BTW, cuts from rabbit teeth are sharp and clean as if they were made with pruners. Deer cuts tend to be ragged since they pull and don't cut clean. I suggest spraying with a good repellent--Deer Off, Liquid Fence, Plantskydd, and try to concentrate on plants deer don't like. Strongly aromatic plants are not only unappealing, but also have some repellent value as the scent jams deer's predator defensese, their sense of smell. Such plants include Agastaches, Perovskia, Nepetas, Calaminthas, Geranium maccrorhizum as well as 'Bikovo', 'Karmina' et. al (but not other Geraniums). Growing plants that they really like, like Phlox, is asking for trouble. Now that they're in the restaurant, it's only a matter of time before someone tries the other items on the buffet.

With a few exceptions, it's often hard to identify the right bug by the damage they do and correctly give you an action to take. Best would be to go out at night with a flashlight and take a look when they are feeding. You may have to make more than one trip after dark, but trust me, you can be very surprised in the activity after dark in your garden. There's 'stuff' in my own I never dreamed was there, and no wonder the slug deterrents I'd put out weren't helping when I had climbing cutworms :) Let us know....

Sushi has pretty much summarized the dangers ahead. There is no way to truly screen her calls other than you or your cousin being with her 24 hours a day. Allowing her the freedom of answering her phone, puts her at risk -- for physical, financial, and emotional harm. I'm also a "been there, done that." My mom used to think she was outsmarting telemarketers by telling them that she was a widow and in ill health, so she couldn't afford to buy their products. Some of the callers had her name and some address info. I'd tell her over and over again that she was saying too much and that the callers could come to the house. She'd promise to do better, but the next time I'd see her, she'd proudly relate how she told off a telemarketer. Eventually she moved to an assisted living facility and the situation was better. The address change in addition to the phone number change lessened the frequency of calls. When she moved into the memory care wing, her phone did not move with her. As far as doctors, etc., do what sushi recommends. Make yourself or your cousin the contact person. That's what I did with my mom even before she moved to assisted living. Perhaps you could "train" your mom to always defer to either you or your cousin when answering questions over the phone. For example, "I'm sorry. You need to talk to my daughter/niece about this. She takes care of everything for me." There's always the possibility of changing her phone number to a new and unlisted number.

I've been looking into lights at Amazon and similar places, mainly because I don't want to take a long bus ride to the nearest Walmart or similar store. I note that grow lights now come in all shapes and sizes, including shapes and sizes that can be put in regular light fixtures like old-fashion light bulbs. You would want to make sure that any unusual bulb didn't stress or overheat your lamp. Currently I use fixtures (often called under cabinet light fixtures) with 2-foot long bulbs, and I have one elderly (+20 years old) shop light with 4-foot long bulbs. In both cases a mix of cool white and "grow-light" bulbs. You can also find info on YouTube, searching "grow lights". One video talked about those new lights with red/green/blue bulbs, testing them vs fluorescent grow lights. Poster wasn't impressed with the fancy lights... Anyhow, there is a lot of info out there so you can make an informed choice :)