Your elderly mom might appreciate some old school ammo. I've been thinking about loading my 4" K-frame with Buffalo Bore 158 grain LSWCHP – the standard velocity version – for home defense. Rated at 850 fps in a snub nose and just under 1000 fps in a 4" K-frame according to the BB website. That's just about perfect in my book. No need for +p at all – at least not in a home defense scenario, which I presume is what your mom is concerned about. "Out and about" might be a different story.

Underwood Ammo is also good and generally a better deal. But their 158 grain LSWHP loads are moving a bit slower than Buffalo Bore's. Underwood's sales rep told me that their reported velocities of 854 fps for the standard pressure load and 1000 fps in +p for 38 special are based on a 4" barrel. In that case I think I would still prefer the standard pressure load in a 4" barrel for less noise and recoil indoors, but the +p version for a 2" snub nose (even that would likely be very loud indoors).