Coming home: what to expect in the first two weeks after a hospital stay
An AirCarers Companion guide for families
Does this sound familiar?
Dad's coming home from the hospital tomorrow, and you're not sure what you're walking into. Will he be steadier or shakier than before? Will the house need to change? What's normal tiredness, and what's a sign something's wrong?
You want to get this right, but nobody hands you a manual. This guide is that manual: what to check before they arrive, what to expect in the first 48 hours, the warning signs worth knowing, and how to help someone rebuild their routine safely.
It sits alongside our longer guide on why this period matters so much, Help before care, and our hospital discharge support service, for families who'd rather have someone alongside them for this bit.
If you only read one thing
- Medicines sorted, and repeat prescription requested from the GP
- Discharge letter and care plan collected, with a contact number for questions
- Follow-up appointments confirmed
- Transport and house keys arranged
- Home safety walk-through done (rugs, lighting, grab rails, clutter)
- Home is a comfortable temperature, cool in hot weather, warm in cold weather (more below)
- Food in, and someone on hand for the first day or two
- You know who to call for what: GP, 111, 999, or PALS (more below)
Before they come home: a practical checklist
Hospital staff should talk you through discharge before your relative leaves, but it's easy for details to get lost on a busy ward. NHS and Age UK guidance both point to the same core list [2] [3].
- Medicines. Hospitals typically send patients home with about seven days' worth of medication. Check what's changed, and get a repeat prescription request in with the GP early. Most surgeries want up to 48 hours' notice, and a pharmacist can talk you through anything new.
- Equipment. If your relative is coming home with equipment (a walking frame, a commode, oxygen), make sure someone has shown you how to use it, and who to call if it goes wrong.
- The discharge letter and care plan. Ask for a copy before you leave, and check it names a contact for questions once you're home.
- Follow-up appointments. Confirm what's booked and how you'll get there.
- Transport and keys. Someone collecting them, or a taxi arranged, and a way into the house that doesn't depend on your relative managing their own keys on a bad day.
- Carers told. If a home care service, family member or neighbour normally helps out, make sure they know the return date.
A home safety walk-through
Falls are one of the biggest risks in the weeks after a hospital stay, partly because a spell of bed rest leaves people less steady than before they went in. NHS falls-prevention guidance recommends a simple walk-through of the home before someone comes back [4].
- Rugs, trailing wires and clutter cleared from walkways
- A non-slip mat in the bath or shower, and grab rails fitted where needed
- Good lighting, especially on the stairs and the route to the bathroom at night
- Well-fitting shoes or slippers that don't slip off
- A personal alarm or mobile phone kept within reach
None of this needs to be elaborate. It's usually a twenty-minute job, and it's worth doing before they walk back through the door rather than after a scare.
Keeping comfortable: hot weather and cold weather
Someone who's just been in hospital is often less able to cope with extreme temperatures than usual. Medication, dehydration and general frailty can all make it harder for the body to regulate itself. Check the weather before they come home, not just the calendar.
If it's hot: The NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advise, especially for anyone over 65 or recovering from illness [5] [6].
- Keep them out of direct sun between 11am and 3pm
- Close windows, curtains and blinds during the day; open them again once it's cooler outside, usually in the evening
- Offer cold food and regular cold drinks; avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, which can be dehydrating
- Loose, light-coloured, breathable clothing (cotton or linen) rather than anything heavy
- A cool flannel or light water spray on the neck and wrists helps if someone's struggling
- A fan helps below about 35°C, but isn't reliable above that
- Know the difference between heat exhaustion (feeling unwell, sweating heavily, headache, dizziness, usually improves with cooling down and fluids) and heatstroke (high temperature that doesn't come down, confusion, not sweating despite the heat, which is a medical emergency; call 999)
If it's cold:
- Keep the main rooms they'll use at a comfortable, steady temperature
- Extra layers and a blanket to hand are often more practical than turning the heating up and down
- Check for draughts near where they'll be sitting or sleeping
Either way, it's worth checking in on how they're finding the temperature in the first few days rather than assuming. People fresh out of hospital often don't notice or mention it themselves.
The first 48 hours: what's normal and what isn't
Some tiredness, a smaller appetite, and needing a nap in the afternoon are all common in the first day or two home, especially after a longer stay.
Where families often get caught out is not realising how much a hospital stay itself can take out of an older person, quite separately from whatever they went in for. NHS England has found that frail older patients can spend up to 83% of their time in hospital lying in bed, and a further 12% sitting in a chair, leaving very little time actually up and moving [7]. The British Geriatrics Society reports that between 30% and 55% of older patients show a decline in everyday abilities like washing, dressing and getting to the toilet during a hospital stay [8], purely as a result of that lost movement. Doctors call this deconditioning, and it's exactly why hospitals now run campaigns encouraging patients to get up, get dressed and keep moving as early as possible [7].
The good news: it's usually reversible. Gentle movement, short walks, and simply being up and dressed for part of the day all help someone recover the ground they lost.
Delirium: the one to know about
This is different from ordinary post-hospital tiredness, and it's worth knowing the difference.
Delirium is a sudden change in mental state, confusion that comes on over hours or a day or two, not gradually. It can look like [9]:
- Disorientation, not knowing where they are or what time of day it is
- New confusion, or confusion beyond someone's normal baseline
- Unusual drowsiness, or the opposite, restlessness and agitation
- A reversed sleep pattern (awake at night, sleepy by day)
- Suspicion, paranoia, or seeing or hearing things that aren't there
- Symptoms that are often worse in the evening or at night
Delirium is common after a hospital stay and is usually triggered by something treatable: a urinary tract infection is a frequent culprit, along with chest infections, dehydration, constipation, or a medication change [9]. It is not the same as dementia, and it is not something to wait out. Family members are often the first to notice it.
If someone's mental state changes suddenly: contact their GP or NHS 111 the same day. Call 999 or go to A&E if they're seriously unwell, unresponsive, or you're seriously worried.
Building a gentle routine over the first two weeks
Once the first couple of days have settled, the aim shifts from getting through it to rebuilding a normal week. This is where the evidence behind our Help before care guide applies directly: regular movement, a predictable routine, and staying connected to people and activities all protect against the slide backwards that a hospital stay can trigger [1]. In practice that might mean:
- A short walk most days, even just to the end of the road and back
- Getting dressed and out of pyjamas, rather than staying in bed clothes all day
- Keeping mealtimes and bedtimes roughly consistent
- A regular visitor or two, so the week has something in it beyond appointments
- Easing back into hobbies, a coffee out, or seeing friends, at whatever pace feels right
When to call for help
A simple way to think about it, once your relative is home:
- Everyday questions about recovery, medication, or a wound that's not healing as expected: call the GP surgery.
- Something's changed and you're not sure how urgent it is (new confusion, a fall, worsening symptoms, can't get an urgent GP appointment): call NHS 111 or use 111 online.
- Life-threatening, such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, unresponsive, a serious fall, heatstroke: call 999.
- If something about the discharge itself went wrong, such as support that was promised didn't turn up, or a care package doesn't match what was agreed: the hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help resolve it [2] [3].
Worth knowing, though it applies to the hospital stay rather than at home: if your relative is readmitted, or you're with them in hospital and worried their condition is deteriorating but don't feel you're being heard, you can ask to use Martha's Rule, a formal right to a rapid second opinion from a different team. It's currently being piloted across 143 hospital sites in England, not yet universal, so ask the ward how to use it if you need it [10].
We're not medically trained, and none of this replaces advice from your GP, 111, or the discharge team. It's here so you know who to call for what, not to replace them.
Where companionship fits in
AirCarers Companion doesn't provide medical or personal care. No medication, no washing or dressing, nothing clinical. What we do is exactly the layer this guide has been describing: a regular, friendly visit that helps someone get up, get dressed, get outside, and stay connected while they rebuild their strength and confidence.
For families who live at a distance, work full-time, or simply can't be there every day of those first two weeks, a companion visit can be the difference between "keeping an eye" happening reliably and it slipping through the cracks.
If your mum, dad, or someone you love is coming home from hospital and you'd like an extra pair of eyes and a familiar face calling in while they get back on their feet, we'd be glad to have a no-obligation conversation about whether that could help.
AirCarers Companion · aircarerscompanion.co.uk · +44 7455 750006 · lucie@aircarers.co.uk
References
- AirCarers Companion, Help before care. https://aircarerscompanion.co.uk/resources/help-before-care
- NHS, Planning to leave hospital. https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/care-after-a-hospital-stay/planning-to-leave-hospital/
- Age UK, Factsheet 37: Hospital discharge and recovery. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/factsheets/fs37_hospital_discharge_fcs.pdf
- NHS, Falls prevention. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/falls/prevention/
- NHS, Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/
- UK Health Security Agency, How to keep cool and stay well during hot weather. https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/23/how-to-keep-cool-and-stay-well-during-hot-weather/
- NHS England, EndPJparalysis and the cost of bed rest. https://www.england.nhs.uk/2018/06/endpjparalysis-revolutionary-movement-helping-frail-older-people/
- British Geriatrics Society, Sit Up, Get Dressed, Keep Moving. https://www.bgs.org.uk/sit-up-get-dressed-and-keep-moving
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Delirium (sudden confusion). https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/delirium-sudden-confusion
- NHS England, Martha's Rule: information for patients, families and carers. https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/marthas-rule/information-patients-families-carers/
