Coming home from hospital: a home-prep checklist before discharge (2026)

The first days after a hospital stay are a vulnerable handover. Strength, balance and stamina are often lower than they felt on the ward, and that is when bathroom trips, missed medicines and night-time stumbles happen. This guide is a home-prep checklist you can work through with your discharge team, occupational therapist or physiotherapist. It is general information, not medical advice. Follow the written plan your hospital gives you, and ask the team to show you any new skill before you leave.

Not sure where to start? Use the Home Aid Finder to match home aids to your area, difficulty and budget.

Ask for occupational therapy or physiotherapy before you leave

Before discharge, ask whether an occupational therapist or physiotherapist can assess how you will manage at home: walking, stairs, getting on and off the toilet, in and out of bed, and bathing. Ontario Health’s quality standard on transitions between hospital and home says people should receive a comprehensive assessment of health and social-support needs, including how they manage daily activities, and that occupational therapy and physiotherapy are among the services that may address those needs. Medicare’s discharge checklist asks you to say whether you need help with bathing, dressing, using the bathroom and climbing stairs, and to ask whether you will need equipment such as a walker, whether it is covered, and who will arrange delivery. Ask staff to show you and your caregiver any new task, then practise it yourself before you go.

Official sources: Ontario Health: Transitions Between Hospital and Home quality standard (2026) · Medicare: Your discharge planning checklist (PDF)

Leave with a written plan, an updated medicine list, and follow-up booked

Ask for written discharge instructions you can read and understand, plus a current list of every prescription, over-the-counter drug, vitamin and supplement, including what changed in hospital. Review that list with staff and share it with your family doctor, nurse practitioner and community pharmacist. Ontario Health’s standard says people should receive a written transition plan before leaving hospital, that the plan should be shared with primary care and home-care providers within 48 hours, that medicines should be reviewed on admission, before going home and once you are home, and that follow-up medical care should be coordinated and booked before discharge. The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s “Taking Care of Myself” guide is built around the same idea: who to call, what medicines to take and when, and when your next appointments are. Write down warning signs and a phone number to call if something worries you.

EZY DOSE push-button 7-day AM/PM pill organizer (XL) – Approx. C$12 (Amazon.ca, October 2026)

Official sources: MedlinePlus: Leaving the hospital — your discharge plan · AHRQ: Taking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the Hospital

Clear a path from the entry to the bed and bathroom

Walk the route you will actually use: front door or garage, to a chair, to the bed, to the toilet. MedlinePlus’s guide to getting the home ready after hospital asks families to remove loose throw rugs and cords from walkways, fix uneven doorway floors, use good lighting in doorways, and keep everyday items between waist and shoulder height so you are not stretching or bending. Pick up shoes, bags and pet bowls. If a walker or cane is coming home with you, check that it fits through doorways and can turn into the bathroom. CDC’s STEADI program publishes a Check for Safety home-fall checklist covering the same hazards: clear floors, secure rugs or take them up, and light the path you walk at night.

Official sources: MedlinePlus: Getting your home ready — after the hospital · CDC STEADI: patient and caregiver fall-prevention resources (includes Check for Safety)

Set up a main-floor bed if stairs are not safe yet

MedlinePlus suggests setting up the bed on the first floor, or the floor you enter on, if you can, and having a bathroom or a portable commode on that same floor. If stairs are still unsafe, do not plan to climb them for sleep or toileting in week one. A firm bed at a height where your feet reach the floor and your hips sit slightly above your knees is easier for sit-to-stand. Put a sturdy chair with arms beside the bed for dressing, and keep the phone, glasses, water and call button within reach without leaning. If the bedroom is upstairs and there is no safe way down, talk with the discharge team or occupational therapist about a temporary main-floor sleeping setup before you leave the hospital — not after you arrive exhausted.

Stander EZ Adjust Bed Rail – approx. US$110–165
Able Life Universal Stand Assist – approx. US$90–115

Make the bathroom safer before the first shower

Most first-week falls at home happen on the way to the toilet or in the shower. MedlinePlus recommends grab bars fixed vertically or horizontally into the wall (never a towel rail), a non-slip mat or strips in the tub, a dry non-skid mat outside, soap and shampoo placed where you do not have to twist or stand on tiptoe, and a shower chair or bath seat with non-skid tips. Raising the toilet with an elevated seat, or using a commode chair, can make sitting and standing easier. Practise toilet and shower transfers with your therapist before discharge if those are new for you. If the only toilet is upstairs and you are sleeping downstairs, a bedside commode for nights is often safer than a stair trip in the dark.

Moen Home Care grab bar – Approx. C$36–130 depending on length and finish
Medline shower chair with back – approx. US$35–50
Vive raised toilet seat with handles – approx. US$65–80
Drive Medical folding steel bedside commode (11148-1) – approx. US$60–110

Plan sit-to-stand from the chairs and bed you will actually use

MedlinePlus suggests placing a chair with a firm back in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and other rooms you will use, so you can sit to do daily tasks. Soft, low sofas and beds are harder to stand from when you are weak. Furniture risers can raise a stable chair or bed; a transfer pole or stand-assist handle gives you something to push on that is not a wobbly table. Ask your occupational therapist or physiotherapist which setup matches your precautions — especially after hip or knee surgery — before anyone drills holes or buys equipment.

Slipstick CB674 2-inch furniture risers (set of 4) – Approx. C$25 (Amazon.ca, November 2026)
HealthCraft SuperPole with SuperBar (8 ft, 300 lb) – Approx. C$415 (Amazon.ca, November 2026)
Able Life Universal Stand Assist – approx. US$90–115

Light the night path and have a way to call for help

MedlinePlus specifically recommends night lights in hallways and rooms that are dark, so the bed-to-bathroom route is visible without a groggy hunt for a switch. Plug-in motion night lights along that route are a simple start. Also make sure a phone is reachable from the bed and from a chair you can sit in if you feel dizzy. A medical alert or caregiver pager means you can call without shouting, which matters if you live alone or your helper sleeps in another room. Test the device before the first night home.

GE plug-in motion-sensor night light – approx. US$10–14
Mr Beams MB723 battery motion-sensing stick-anywhere night lights (3-pack) – approx. US$30 for a 3-pack
Lifeline On The Go mobile medical alert (Canada) – Approx. C$150 plus monthly service (Amazon.ca, November 2026)
DAYTECH caregiver pager with wrist call button – Approx. C$40 (Amazon.ca, November 2026)

Line up real help for week one

MedlinePlus notes you may need help with bathing, using the toilet, cooking, errands, shopping, getting to appointments and exercising, and that if no one can help for the first one or two weeks you should ask about a trained caregiver coming to the home. Medicare’s checklist asks you to circle the activities you cannot yet do alone and to talk with staff about them. Ontario Health’s standard says home-care and community support services should be assessed and, when needed, arranged before you leave hospital so they are in place when you return. Write a simple week-one roster: who is there overnight, who does meals, who drives to the first follow-up, and who can sit so the main caregiver can sleep. If you are the caregiver, treating your own rest as part of the safety plan is not optional.

Official source: Medicare: Your discharge planning checklist (PDF)

Safety notes

Suction grab bars are a balance aid only. They can release without warning and must never hold your body weight or be used to stop a fall.
Anchor wall grab bars into studs or approved blocking, never drywall alone, and follow the manufacturer's instructions or use a qualified installer.
Check the weight capacity and fit of any seat, rail or pole, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

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Common questions

Is this medical advice?

No. This is general information about preparing a home. Follow the written instructions from your discharge team, surgeon, occupational therapist or physiotherapist. If something in this checklist conflicts with what they told you, their instructions win.

What if the hospital stay was unplanned and nobody prepared the house?

MedlinePlus says that when a stay is unplanned, family or friends can prepare the home while you are still in hospital. Give them this checklist and the discharge team’s equipment list. Focus first on a clear path, a safe place to sleep on the entry floor if stairs are a problem, a way to toilet without climbing, lights on the night path, the updated medicine list, and someone staying for the first nights.

Do I need a hospital bed at home?

Not always. MedlinePlus lists a hospital bed among equipment you should ask the nurse or discharge planner about, along with a walker or cane, shower chair, portable toilet and other supplies. Many people manage in their own bed if the height is workable and they have a way to sit up and stand. Ask occupational therapy before buying or renting.

When should we set up a main-floor bed?

If you cannot yet climb stairs safely, or if the only toilet you can reach without stairs is downstairs, sleep on that floor until your therapist says stairs are reasonable. A temporary bed in a living room is inconvenient; a night-time fall on the stairs is worse.

Who pays for equipment and home care?

Ask before you leave. Medicare’s checklist includes asking whether needed equipment is covered and who will arrange delivery. Ontario Health’s quality standard says the team should explain which services are publicly funded, consider out-of-pocket costs, and include options when costs are unaffordable. Coverage varies by province, insurance plan and item, so get names and numbers in writing.

Should we get a medical alert device before coming home?

It is worth asking, especially if someone will be alone for part of the day or night. A phone left on a counter does not help after a fall. Pair a way to call for help with a lit path and a plan for who responds.

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Prices are approximate typical ranges seen at major retailers in October 2026 and change often. Not medical advice; an occupational therapist can help you choose safely.