16 Jul What to do After Hospital Discharge Re-Cap: from 07/16/2025
When I started this resource / service business, it was because I saw a gap.
From working in acute care (hospital) and inpatient rehab: I saw how overwhelmed patients and caregivers could be during the short training session provided prior to discharge, being given tons of information including some handouts that then don’t make sense when you get home, and maybe 1-2 demonstrations of wound/bowel/transfer/equipment care / use before being sent out the door.
From working in home health: I saw how many follow-up questions patients and families had about how to perform the care / transfers, use the equipment, and set up their home to help them be safe and successful.
If you are lucky enough to get home health services, there can be a gap of several days before someone is out there to help answer your home and mobility questions. In the mean-time, you still have to get in and out of the house (not many home doctor visits anymore), get and make food, use the bathroom, etc. Families do the best they can, but it’s not always the safest or most efficient way.
This first 7 month series, focused on what to do when you are discharged home from the hospital.
This has been a fun and very important series!
Why is it important?
Because knowing what to do when you get home from the hospital keeps you from developing other issues and risk re-hospitalization, improves your recovery, and prevents falls!
We started the year with what I think is the most important point. 40% of people who are discharged from the hospital fall. Most of those (63%) fall within the first 2 weeks. Falls matter because they can lead to injury, interrupted healing and recovery, and/or re-hospitalization.
So, to help you avoid falls, we started with what to watch out for going from the car into the house, how to modify and set up your home with clear pathways and gave you a home safety checklist. We told you what to expect and what to watch for so you know when things aren’t progressing normally and it’s time to contact your doctor. We explained medical precautions so you know what you can and can’t do and how to push yourself. We talked about discharge planning, equipment use, and transitioning to less restrictive devices. We gave you ideas on products and assistive devices that are available to help with daily tasks, bed mobility, transfers, walking, and to help in the bathroom. We gave ideas on how to think differently when you have a progressive disease. Then, because you have been safe and are starting to see that you are recovering, we talked about how to maintain the gains you have made and gave you general exercises to do to keep the progression going. We talked about the importance of caregivers and how to perform tasks / transfers to keep you and them safe.
All this to bridge that gap before home health comes, or, to help you progress after you have used all your insurance-alloted therapy days and you don’t know where to go from here.
We are here for you, to keep you at home, safe, healthy, successful at the stage you are at, and help you keep recovering (because it is a long process, y’all!) And to help prevent falls and re-hospitalizations!
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