twelve year old chocolate lab slipped on hardwood last tuesday and is now taking three or four tries to stand up from a deep sleep, vet appointment thursday but looking for what other senior dog families have done in the meantime

Bramble is our 12 year old chocolate lab, 78lb (down from his prime weight of 85), we've had him since he was 9 weeks. he's always been a strong dog with no real health issues besides some arthritis we've been managing with carprofen and a glucosamine supplement for the last 2 years. last tuesday evening he was getting up from his bed and slipped on the hardwood in the kitchen, splayed out for a second before he caught himself, and ever since that night he's been having a real hard time getting up from a deep sleep. standing from a sit is fine, walking is fine, stairs he refuses now but he was already slow on them. it's specifically the deep sleep to standing transition that takes 3-4 attempts and looks like his rear end is just not cooperating.

we have a vet appointment thursday morning to evaluate (his regular vet booked us in fast which i'm grateful for) and i'm not asking for medical advice, i know that's the call. what i am asking is what other families with senior dogs going through similar mobility changes have actually used in terms of day to day support, because the gap between "carprofen and a supplement" and "fully mobility limited" feels like a big leap and i want to understand what the in-between looks like.

specifically. one, rugs and runners over hardwood (we have hardwood throughout the first floor which i now realize was always a ticking clock). two, assistive harnesses for the under-the-rear-end lift to help him stand (i've seen the Help Em Up harness and the GingerLead and they look very different from each other and i can't tell which is right for our situation). three, ramps for the back deck where he goes out for the bathroom (currently 3 steps, he can still do them but slowly). four, whether the orthopedic / mobility-support beds actually make a meaningful difference or whether it's just marketing on a $200 dog bed. five, the timing question, when do you actually start using these tools vs waiting until things are worse, because i don't want to either jump the gun or wait until i'm doing crisis-mode shopping. honest answers please, including the "this is the start of a 6 month decline" version if that's what you've seen. i'd rather know now and prepare. he's a good dog, he's still happy, his appetite is great, he still wants his walks even if they're shorter. just want to make sure the home setup is right for him before things change further