A hospital discharge often comes with a day or two of notice, and the home a parent left a week ago may not suit the body coming back. A new walker, a weak leg, stitches or dizziness from new medications all change what the house asks of them. This guide is about the home side of that change: what to set up in the first few days, and what can wait.
Everything medical, including what the person should and should not do, comes from the discharge team. Ask them early.
Before discharge day: three questions for the team
- What equipment will be prescribed? A walker, a commode chair, a hospital bed? Medicare Part B covers medically necessary durable medical equipment when a doctor prescribes it for use in the home, including canes, walkers, commode chairs, hospital beds and wheelchairs. After the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. Get it ordered so it arrives before or with the patient.
- Will a therapist or nurse visit the home? NIA notes that after a fall, a doctor might suggest an occupational therapist, physical therapist or nurse visit the home to assess safety. Ask whether that applies here.
- What should they avoid for now? Stairs, bathing, lifting, driving: the answers decide how you set up the house.
Day one priorities
One floor to live on
If stairs are hard or off-limits, bring daily life to one level: a bed, a firm chair with arms, and a toilet on the same floor. A downstairs living room or dining room can be a bedroom for a few weeks. Many families find this is cheaper and faster than anything else, and it avoids the riskiest part of most houses.
A clear, lit route from bed to toilet
This is the route that matters most, because it is walked at night, often in a hurry.
- Remove throw rugs and anything on the floor along it. NIA’s advice is not to use throw rugs at all.
- Move cords to the walls.
- Check doorways on the route are wide enough for the walker. The ADA benchmark for clear width is 32 in, measured with the door open 90 degrees. Swing-clear hinges or taking a door off its hinges for a few weeks can gain width.
- Plug in motion night lights along the route and in the bathroom. The CDC’s checklist flags a dark path from bed to bathroom as a hazard.
The bedside
Put a lamp the person can reach from bed, a phone, glasses, water and a flashlight at the bedside; NIA recommends a flashlight in case the power goes out and a phone near the bed. If getting up is hard, a short bed assist handle helps. Avoid full-length adult bed rails: the FDA warns they can trap people, especially those with confusion or dementia.
The bathroom
| Fix | Typical cost | Who | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raised toilet seat or toilet safety frame | $30–$120 each | DIY | Walmart, October 17, 2026 |
| Non-slip tread strips | $4–$17 per pack | DIY | The Home Depot, October 17, 2026 |
| Tub transfer bench | $52–$174 each | DIY | The Home Depot, October 17, 2026 |
| Handheld shower on a slide bar | $79–$171 each | DIY | The Home Depot, October 17, 2026 |
| Grab bar, installed | $85–$300 per bar (parts $20–$33) | Either | Fixr, August 29, 2025 |
- Toilet. A raised seat with arms, or a commode chair (which Medicare can cover when prescribed) placed over the toilet or by the bed.
- Shower. Non-slip strips on the tub floor, a transfer bench and a handheld shower make bathing a seated job. Ask the discharge team when showering is allowed.
- Grab bars. Useful long-term, but they need anchoring into studs. If you cannot get them installed before discharge, use the raised seat with arms and the bench for now and book the bars.
The kitchen and chair
Stock easy meals and move everyday food, cups and plates to counter height so nobody reaches up or bends down. Put a chair with arms where the person will sit most, with the phone and remote within reach.
A short shopping list
Most of what the first week needs is inexpensive and can be bought in a single trip or delivered the next day:
- Motion night lights for the bed-to-bathroom route (about $40 to $53 for four).
- Non-slip strips for the tub floor ($4 to $17 a pack) and a bath mat with a rubber back.
- A raised toilet seat with arms ($30 to $120) if no commode chair is prescribed.
- A tub transfer bench ($52 to $174) and a handheld shower on a slide bar ($79 to $171).
- Rug grippers for any rug that cannot be removed.
Prices are US retail listings checked in October 2026. Prescribed equipment such as a walker or commode chair comes through the medical equipment supplier, not the store.
What can wait
Grab bars, a second stair rail, a stair lift or a shower conversion may all be worth doing, but none has to be finished before discharge day. Do the free fixes and the short shopping list first, live with the setup for a week, and then decide on the bigger changes with a clearer picture of how the person is recovering. Rushing a large purchase in the week of a discharge is how families end up with equipment that does not fit the need.
The first week
Once the person is home, watch how they actually move. Where do they reach for support? Which doorway does the walker catch on? Which step do they hesitate at? Those observations are worth more than any checklist, and they tell you what to fix next.
Then run a full walk-through. The aging in place checklist covers all eight areas of the home, and the home check turns your answers into a ranked, priced plan. Tick the “uses a cane or walker” profile option and the plan moves trip, bathing and exit hazards up the list.
Help with the work
- Area Agency on Aging. The Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116, or eldercare.acl.gov) connects you to local home-repair, home-modification and caregiver programs.
- Veterans. VA HISA grants of up to $6,800 or $2,000 can pay for changes like roll-in showers and ramps, with approval before work starts.
- Everyone else. See the grants guide for USDA Section 504, Medicaid waivers and tax relief under IRS Publication 502.
When to get a professional
If the person fell before going into hospital, keeps losing balance, or has a condition that is changing, an occupational therapist’s home assessment is worth asking for. For building work, the CAPS contractor guide covers who to call and what to ask. Keepstead is a planning checklist, not medical advice.