Preparing Your Home for Your Recovery

After a hospital stay, you will need time to heal. If you are able to recover at home, you need to ensure that your home is ready for you when you are discharged. 1

It may take time to regain your strength. So your home needs to be set up so you can move around safely. It's also important to make everyday tasks, like eating and dressing, easier for yourself. 1

Talk with your doctor and other health professionals about how to prepare your home. If your hospital visit was scheduled, you can prepare your home in advance. If you did not expect to be in the hospital, ask family and friends to help you. 1

The following checklist can help you get your home ready for a safe and successful recovery:

Bedroom and Living Room

In the rooms where you'll spend a lot of time, arrange everything for comfort, ease, and safety. 1

Is your bed on the first floor? If not, can you put one there so you don't have to go up and down the stairs? 1

Is a bathroom or portable commode (a toilet you can move around) located on the floor where you will spend most of your time? 1

Can you get to items you need without having to bend over or reach up on your tiptoes? 1

Bathroom

Here are some tips on making bathing and other personal care safe and easier as you recover.

Do you need safety (or grab) bars installed in your tub and by the toilet to help you get up and down? 1

Place grab bars vertically or horizontally.
Don't try to use a towel rack to support yourself. They are not strong enough.

Would the toilet be easier for you to use if you added an elevated seat? 1

Do you have nonslip mats or decals placed inside and outside the tub or shower to prevent slipping? 1

Do you need a chair to sit on when you take a shower? The legs should have non-skid tips. 1

Do you need to buy any toilet paper, shampoo, or other personal items? 1

Can you safely and easily reach items you will need, such as soap and shampoo? 1

Preparing Your Home for Your Recovery

Kitchen

Healthy eating can help you build your strength, heal wounds, and manage chronic diseases. 2,3 After a hospital stay, you want to make food preparation easy for yourself. 1

Has your doctor recommended certain foods or drinks during your recovery? Examples might include soft foods or liquids. If so, do you have these in stock in your kitchen? 4

Yes No

Do you have healthy food on-hand that you can eat during your recovery? Consider the following 1,2,5-9 :

Plan a week's worth of healthy meals using USDA's MyPlate method (see page 4).
Prepare meals ahead of time that can be frozen and reheated. Or ask someone to help you with meal prep.
For easier prep, keep canned and frozen foods on hand.
Plan take-out orders that can be delivered to your home. Ask to replace less healthy sides with a salad or vegetable dish.
Have healthy snacks on hand. Mix together food groups to create nourishing snacks. For example, try peanut butter on apple slices. Or yogurt mixed with berries.

Can you easily reach items that you will use a lot, such as food, cups, and silverware? These items should be placed in a spot that is no higher than your shoulders and no lower than your waist. 1

Preparing Your Home for Your Recovery

Preparing Your Home for Your Recovery Preparing Your Home for Your Recovery

Healthy Eating Tips from the USDA's MyPlate Method 6,7

A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of foods from each food group:

Half of your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables. Vary the type of vegetables you eat. Choose whole fruits.
Mix up the proteins you eat. Examples include lean meats and poultry, beans, nuts, eggs, and tofu. Also, aim to eat fish or seafood twice a week.
Make half of the grains you eat whole grains. Look for "100% whole grain" or "100% whole wheat" on the food label.

Moving Around

You also need to think about how you can prevent falls when you move around your home. 1

Do you have an easy, safe way to carry items you need, such as your cell phone, from room to room? Options include 1 :

Wearing a fanny pack around your waist
Attaching a basket to your walker

Have you taken precautions to prevent falls? Make sure you have 1 :

Put away any throw rugs V
Removed any cords or wires that could trip you as you walk
Placed night lights in dark rooms
Ensured doorways are lit well

Do you have nonslip shoes or slippers to wear on smooth floors? 10

Complete your meal with low-fat or fatfree milk and yogurt. Or try lactose-free milk or fortified soy milk.
Make healthier choices by selecting foods with less added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium (salt).

Dressing

Getting dressed is another daily task that you may need to rethink for ease and safety.

Do you have comfortable, easy-to-put-on clothes to wear during your recovery? For instance, you don't want a tight waistband that rubs against an incision. 2,5

Do you need any special tools to help you dress? Examples include 1 :

A shoehorn with a long handle
A sock aid, which makes it easier to put on socks
A reacher to help you put on your pants

Equipment, Supplies, and Medicines You May Need

Use this checklist to keep track of any special equipment or supplies you will need. Ask your doctor or other health professional if the hospital or home care agency will provide any of these items for you. Also, find out if your insurance will cover the items. 4

[x] Equipment needed 11,12 : 3
[ ] Hospital Bed
[ ] Wheelchair
[ ] Portable Commode
[ ] Shower Chair

Other:

[ ] Oxygen Equipment
[ ] Walker
[ ] Seat Lift Chair
[ ] Blood Sugar Monitor

[ ] Crutches
[ ] Cane

continued

Preparing Your Home for Your Recovery

Equipment, Supplies, and Medicines You May Need continued

[ ] Supplies needed 5,12 : 3
[ ] Heating pad
[ ] Disposable gloves

Other:

Medicines needed 5 :

Prescriptions:

Over-the-counter medicines:

[ ] Pill organizer
[ ] Incision care supplies
[ ] Hand sanitizer

References

Dugdale D. Getting your home ready – after the hospital. Medline Plus. Updated May 8, 2019. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000432.htm#
American Heart Association. Facing & recovering from major surgery. Published 2016. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/health-topics/heart-valve-disease/facing-and-recovering-from-majorsurgery-checklist-ucm_457888.pdf
3. Everett W, Badaracco C, McCauley S. From hospital to home: why nutrition counts. Health Affairs Blog. Published January 24, 2020. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/ hblog20200117.329745/full/
United Hospital Fund. Hospital-to-home discharge guide. Published 2014. Accessed March 21, 2021. https:// www.nextstepincare.org/uploads/File/Guides/Hospital/Hospital_to_Home_Guide/Hospital_to_Home.pdf
Whitlock J. Top 10 items you should have at home after a surgery. VeryWell Health. Published December 2, 2019. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.verywellhealth.com/things-to-have-at-home-afteryour-surgery-3156905
United States Department of Agriculture. Start simple with MyPlate today. Published December 2020. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.myplate.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/DGA_2020-2025_StartSimple_ withMyPlate_English_BW_0.pdf
United States Department of Agriculture. Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Published December 2020. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/Dietary_Guidelines_for_ Americans-2020-2025.pdf
United States Department of Agriculture. Add more vegetables to your day. Updated October 2016. Accessed December 12, 2020. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-add-more-vegetables-to-your-day
United States Department of Agriculture. Hacking your snacks. Published March 2017. Accessed December 12, 2020. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate-mywins-tips-hacking-your-snacks-0
Health in Aging Foundation. Tip sheet: home safety tips for older adults. Published June 2019. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.healthinaging.org/tools-and-tips/tip-sheet-home-safety-tips-older-adults
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/durable-medical-equipment-dme-coverage
Harry R. 15 products for post-surgery recovery. HomeCare. Published April 19, 2019. Accessed November 2020. https://www.homecaremag.com/april-2019/products-post-surgery-recovery