Post-hospital care
Help for the first days and weeks home after a hospital or rehab stay. We can often start within 24 to 48 hours of your call.
Care we offer
How it helps
The first two weeks home from the hospital are when many families feel most alone. Your parent is weaker than before, there's a new list of pills and appointments, and you may be on a plane back home. We can do the ride home, stock the fridge, help with showers and stairs, and drive to follow-up appointments. When we have caregivers free, care can often start within 24 to 48 hours of your call.
This may be right if
- Dad is being discharged this week and nobody can stay with him
- Mom is coming home from rehab after a fall or a new hip
- The hospital said they shouldn't be alone for the first few days
- You have to fly home and need someone you can trust there
What a visit can include
You and your parent choose what's in the care plan. Caregivers follow it, and you can change it any time.
The first days
- The ride home from the hospital or rehab center
- Picking up new prescriptions and groceries on the way
- Setting up the house: clear paths, night lights, things within reach
Daily help
- Help with showers, dressing and the bathroom
- Standing by on stairs and walks
- Meals that follow the diet the hospital gave
- Reminders from the discharge medication list
Appointments and updates
- Rides to follow-up appointments
- A daily note so you know how recovery is going
Non-medical care
What caregivers don't do here
- Nursing, wound care, IVs or physical therapy. If the hospital orders these, a home health agency provides them, and we work alongside them
- Deciding when your parent is ready to stop care (we'll talk it through with you)
Not sure if a task is medical? Ask us at the assessment. We'd rather say no clearly than guess.
A typical first day home
An example. Every plan is built around your parent's own routine.
- 11:00 Meet your parent at the hospital entrance at discharge time.
- 11:45 Pharmacy pick-up on the way home.
- 12:30 Settle in, make lunch, put new pills next to the organizer for family to set up.
- 1:30 Rest. The caregiver tidies, does laundry and checks the house for trip hazards.
- 3:00 Help to the bathroom and a short, slow walk.
- 4:30 Dinner made, phone within reach, visit note sent to family.
Questions families ask
All questionsHow fast can you start?
Often within 24 to 48 hours, depending on how many hours you need and which caregivers are free. Call us as soon as you know the discharge date, even if it might change.
Does Medicare pay for this?
Medicare usually doesn't pay for non-medical home care like ours. If the doctor orders home health (nursing or therapy), Medicare may cover that part through a home health agency. We fill in the hours around those visits.
Other kinds of care
Was this page helpful?
Talk to us about post-hospital care.
Book a free in-home assessment, or call and tell us what's going on. No pressure, no long contract, and a written plan with the weekly cost before anything starts.