Your Parent Is Home From Hospital: The First 48 Hours

The phone call comes: Mum’s being discharged. Relief floods in – she’s well enough to leave. But almost immediately, a knot forms in your stomach. What happens now? Is she actually ready? Will she cope? If you’re feeling this mix of emotions, you’re not alone. The transition from hospital to home can be a vulnerable period for older people. A clear plan for medicines, mobility, care and getting help can make these early days easier to manage.

Why the First Few Days Are So Critical

Hospital stays take a surprising toll on the body, even when someone is being treated successfully. A phenomenon called “hospital-acquired deconditioning” means that older patients can lose muscle strength remarkably quickly – studies show measurable decline beginning within just 24 to 48 hours of admission. After a week in hospital, many elderly patients have lost significant strength and mobility, regardless of what they were originally admitted for.

This means your parent may be coming home weaker than when they went in. They passed the hospital’s mobility assessment – walking down a wide, flat corridor with a physiotherapist beside them – but your house has narrow doorways, thick carpets, and a bathroom that requires navigating around furniture. It’s a very different challenge.

Add to this the exhaustion of the hospital environment (poor sleep, irregular meals, the stress of illness), and you begin to understand why these first days require particular care and attention.

What to Expect When They First Get Home

They may be tired. Needing more rest can be part of recovery. Follow the discharge team’s advice, but do not dismiss unusual drowsiness or difficulty waking as ordinary tiredness.

Settling in may take time. Familiar routines and reassurance can help, particularly if your parent has existing cognitive impairment. However, new or suddenly worse confusion is not something to wait out: go to A&E or call 999. This also applies to someone who already has dementia. See NHS advice on sudden confusion.

They may seem different. Some people become more anxious after a hospital stay, particularly about falling or becoming unwell again. Others may seem withdrawn or low in mood. Both are common responses to what they’ve been through.

Don’t expect a quick bounce back. Research suggests that even four to six weeks after returning home, many elderly patients haven’t fully regained the strength they lost during their hospital stay. Recovery is a gradual process, not an event.

An Important Risk: Falls

Falls are an important concern after discharge, especially when strength, balance or medicines have changed. Research on older adults returning home from hospital shows that falls are common, but estimates vary considerably between patient groups. An individual’s risk needs assessment; a study percentage cannot predict what will happen to your parent.

Several factors combine to create this increased risk:

• Reduced strength and balance from time spent in hospital, often lying or sitting for long periods.
• Medication changes that may cause dizziness, drowsiness, or confusion. New medications or altered doses are common after a hospital stay.
• Overconfidence or underconfidence. Some people push themselves too hard too soon. Others become so afraid of falling that they stop moving, which actually increases their risk by allowing further muscle weakening.
• Night-time toileting is particularly dangerous. The need to get to the bathroom quickly, combined with darkness, drowsiness, and forgetting to use a walking aid, leads to many falls in the early hours.

Quick Safety Checks You Can Do Today

Walk through your parent’s home with fresh eyes:

• Are there loose rugs or cables that could cause a trip?
• Is there a clear path from bed to bathroom?
• Is lighting adequate, particularly on stairs and in hallways?
• Can they reach a light switch from their bed?
• Can they use their prescribed walking aid and any assessed rails safely on the route from bed to bathroom?
• Are the things they need regularly within easy reach?

What Should Have Been Put in Place

Before discharge, the hospital should have arranged several things. If any of these are missing, it’s worth following up:

• Equipment: Any equipment essential for safe transfers, walking or toileting should be in place when your parent comes home, as NICE discharge guidance recommends. Later, non-essential adaptations may have a different timetable. If essential equipment is missing, contact the discharge team immediately to agree a safe plan; do not attempt activities that depend on it without the agreed support.
• Medication: Your parent should have come home with their medications and clear instructions about any changes. If you’re unsure what they should be taking, contact their GP surgery.
• Care visits: If care workers were arranged, they should have started immediately. Know who the care provider is and have their contact number.
• Follow-up appointments: There may be outpatient appointments, GP check-ups, or therapy sessions scheduled. Make sure you know what’s been arranged and when.
• GP notification: The hospital should have informed your parent’s GP about the discharge. If your parent needs to see their GP in the first few days, phone the surgery and explain they’ve just been discharged from hospital – many practices prioritise these appointments.

If Things Don’t Seem Right

Sometimes it becomes clear within hours or days that the discharge hasn’t worked as planned. Perhaps your parent can’t manage the stairs. Perhaps they’re more confused than the hospital realised. Perhaps the care package isn’t enough.

Go to A&E or call 999 for sudden confusion; call 999 for difficulty waking, severe breathing problems or stroke symptoms such as a new facial droop, arm weakness or speech difficulty. For other urgent symptoms, contact the GP or NHS 111. Contact the discharge team about gaps in the care plan, but do not wait for a care reassessment when urgent medical help is needed.

If you believe the discharge was unsafe – if your parent clearly cannot cope at home despite the support that’s been put in place – you can contact adult social services to request a reassessment. The phrase “safeguarding concern” will be taken seriously if you genuinely believe your parent is at risk.

Getting Extra Help

Reablement Care

If your parent needs support immediately after discharge, they may be entitled to “reablement” – a free, short-term service (usually up to six weeks) designed to help people regain independence. This typically involves care workers visiting daily to help with tasks like washing, dressing, and preparing meals, with the aim of rebuilding skills rather than simply doing things for them. Reablement should be arranged before or at the point of discharge. If it wasn’t offered and you think your parent would benefit, contact your local council’s adult social services.

Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation can help older people work towards regaining mobility after a hospital stay. Our hospital discharge rehabilitation programme supports this process. Your parent may have been referred to NHS community physiotherapy before discharge; ask the team when it will start and what to do while waiting, as timing varies by service and area.

If there is a wait, private physiotherapy may help sooner. Medella appointments are usually available within 2–7 days, depending on your location and therapist availability, and we can work alongside the NHS team with your parent’s permission. A physiotherapist can assess mobility and balance at home, discuss suitable exercises and equipment, and help your parent work towards their goals. We’ve written more about how we work with individuals and their families after discharge.

Occupational Therapy

An occupational therapist (OT) focuses on helping people manage everyday activities safely. They can assess your parent’s home environment, recommend equipment or adaptations, and suggest strategies for tasks that have become difficult. OTs are available through the NHS (via GP referral) or privately.

Looking After Yourself Too

Caring for an elderly parent – especially during a crisis like a hospital admission and discharge – is exhausting. It’s natural to want to do everything yourself, but this isn’t sustainable.

Be honest about what you can and can’t provide. If you work full-time, live far away, or have your own health issues or family responsibilities, you cannot be your parent’s sole support system. That’s not a failure – it’s reality.

If you’re providing regular care for your parent, you’re entitled to a Carer’s Assessment from your local council, which can identify support available to you. Organisations like Carers UK and Age UK offer advice, support, and someone to talk to.

The Days Ahead

The first few days after hospital discharge are undoubtedly hard. There’s uncertainty, there’s worry, and there’s often a lot to organise at short notice. But things do settle. Most people find their feet, the new routines become familiar, and recovery – even if slow – does happen.

Getting the right support in place early makes an enormous difference. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, chase up services that were promised, and seek help if things aren’t working. You know your parent. Trust your judgement.