A hospital discharge home checklist can help families prepare when discharge happens quickly and there is very little time to get the home ready.
The goal is not to redesign the house or predict every possible problem. Start by looking at the parts of the home the person will actually need to use when they return.
This hospital discharge home checklist walks through the physical home from the vehicle drop-off point to the entrance, bathroom, sleeping area, and everyday walking routes. It also helps you identify questions that may need to be confirmed with the hospital, rehabilitation team, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or another professional involved in the discharge plan.
Hospital Discharge Home Checklist: What to Verify Before They Come Home
- Arrival and Entrance
- Steps, Doorways and Thresholds
- Walking Routes Through the Home
- Bathroom and Toilet Access
- Shower or Bathing Setup
- Sleeping and Recovery Area
- Nighttime Lighting
- Recommended Equipment or Home Changes
- Help Available at Home
- Questions to Verify Before Discharge
Not sure what your home needs?
For a more detailed entrance review, see our guide to Preparing Entrances and Steps After Hospital Discharge.
Use the Home Readiness Check to walk through the home step by step and receive a personalized preparation plan.
How to Use This Hospital Discharge Home Checklist
A hospital or rehabilitation discharge can happen quickly. Families may suddenly have only a few days—or sometimes less—to figure out whether the home will work for the person who is coming back.
You do not need to redesign the entire house. Start with the parts of the home the person will actually use: the path from the vehicle to the entrance, the bathroom, the sleeping area, and the routes between them.
This hospital discharge home checklist helps you review those areas before the planned return. It can also help you identify questions that should be confirmed with the hospital, rehabilitation team, occupational therapist, physical therapist, physician, or another professional involved in the discharge plan.
Not sure where to start?
The Discharge Ready Home Home Readiness Check walks you through the home step by step and creates a personalized preparation plan based on your answers.
Hospital Discharge Home Checklist
Work through the home in the order the person is likely to experience it when they return.
- Review the vehicle drop-off point and path to the entrance.
- Check steps, handrails, doorways and thresholds.
- Clear the main walking routes through the home.
- Review bathroom and toilet access.
- Look at the shower or bathing setup.
- Prepare the sleeping or recovery area.
- Check nighttime lighting.
- Confirm recommended equipment or home changes.
- Confirm who will actually be available to help.
- Write down anything that still needs to be verified with the discharge or rehabilitation team.
The goal is not to declare the home “safe.” The goal is to identify practical home-preparation issues early enough to address or verify them before they become an arrival-day problem.
1. Start at the Vehicle Drop-Off Point
Do not begin your review at the front door.
Begin where the vehicle will actually stop.
Walk the route from that point to the entrance the person expects to use. Look at the distance, walking surface, steps, narrow areas, gates, turns and anything else that could make the route difficult with a walker, wheelchair or hands-on assistance.
If the usual entrance presents a problem, look at the other entrances before assuming the home needs to be modified.
A side door, garage entrance or another existing route may provide an easier short-term solution.
2. Check Steps, Handrails, Doorways and Thresholds
Look closely at the entrance itself.
If there are steps, check whether a secure handrail is already available and whether the person is expected to use those steps after discharge.
Do not assume that someone can or cannot manage stairs. If you are uncertain, ask the discharge team, occupational therapist or physical therapist what they expect.
Also look at the doorway and threshold.
If a walker or wheelchair will be used, measure the usable clear opening, not simply the advertised or nominal door width.
Check for raised thresholds or tight turns immediately inside the entrance.
When another existing entrance works better, using it temporarily may make more sense than rushing into construction.
3. Clear the Main Walking Routes
Walk the paths the person will use most often.
Pay particular attention to the routes between the entrance, bathroom, bedroom or recovery area, kitchen and main living space.
Look for loose rugs, electrical cords, small furniture, pet items, boxes, clutter and tight turns.
Start with the simplest changes.
Moving a table, rolling up a loose rug or relocating a cord may improve the route without requiring equipment or remodeling.
If the person will use mobility equipment, think about the space that equipment will need when turning and moving between rooms.
For a more detailed review of pathways through the home, see our guide to Walking Routes After Hospital Discharge.
4. Review Bathroom and Toilet Access
The bathroom deserves special attention because it may be needed soon after the person returns home.
First determine whether the person can reach the bathroom using the mobility equipment and assistance expected.
Then look at the toilet area.
Is there enough space to approach the toilet? Is there room for another person to assist if help is expected? Is another bathroom easier to use?
Do not automatically purchase toilet-support equipment because something looks difficult.
The appropriate solution depends on the person’s expected abilities, the available assistance, the bathroom layout and any recommendations already made by the discharge team, OT or PT.
When you are uncertain, verify the expected assistance or equipment before purchasing or installing anything.
For a more detailed bathroom review, see our guide to Bathroom Safety After Hospital Discharge.
5. Look at the Shower or Bathing Setup
Showers and tubs can present several different practical challenges.
Look at the entrance to the shower or tub, available standing and turning space, nearby fixtures, and how much assistance the person is expected to need.
Before considering permanent changes, determine whether another existing bathroom or bathing arrangement works better.
A temporary alternative may provide a practical solution during the initial return-home period.
If bathing equipment has already been recommended, confirm that the correct item has arrived and that you understand where and how the recommending professional expects it to be used.
If you are unsure what assistance or equipment is appropriate, confirm that with the relevant healthcare professional before relying on a product or modification.
6. Prepare the Sleeping or Recovery Area
Consider how the person will reach the planned sleeping area.
If the bedroom requires stairs, determine whether stair use has already been discussed as part of the discharge plan.
If stairs may present a problem, look for an existing same-level space that could temporarily serve as a sleeping or recovery area.
Then examine the room itself.
Move unnecessary furniture or belongings so there is adequate usable space around the bed and along the route into the room.
Consider whether another person will need room to assist.
A temporary room arrangement can often address the immediate need while the family decides later whether any permanent change is necessary.
For a more detailed bedroom review, see our guide on how to Prepare a Bedroom After Hospital Discharge.
7. Check the Route at Night
A route that appears easy during the day can look very different after dark.
Walk from the sleeping area to the bathroom at night.
Look for dark hallways, poorly lit turns, changes in floor level and places where the person would need to cross a dark area before reaching a light switch.
Simple plug-in or motion-activated lighting may be worth considering when it improves visibility without creating a new obstacle.
Follow manufacturer instructions for placement and use.
If the home needs permanent electrical changes, consider a qualified electrician.
8. Confirm Recommended Equipment or Home Changes
Do not assume that something is ready simply because someone ordered it.
Review the discharge paperwork and any recommendations from the hospital, rehabilitation facility, occupational therapist or physical therapist.
Determine exactly what was recommended and by whom.
Then confirm whether each item has:
arrived, been assembled if necessary, been installed when required, and been placed where it is expected to be used.
Where suitability or instructions matter, confirm them with the professional who made the recommendation before relying on the equipment.
This step can prevent a family from discovering on arrival day that an important item is still in a box, has not arrived, or is not set up.
For a more detailed equipment review, see our guide to Equipment Before Hospital Discharge.
9. Confirm Who Will Actually Be Available to Help
Some home arrangements only work when another person is present.
Do not plan around assistance that may not actually be available.
Identify who expects to help during the arrival home and during the first days afterward.
Clarify when that person will be available and what tasks they expect to help with.
If the amount of assistance required is unclear, confirm it with the discharge team, occupational therapist or physical therapist.
If family or caregiver help cannot reliably cover an identified need, the family can then explore an appropriate professional home-support service.
10. Make a “Things to Verify” List
You will not always know every answer.
That is normal.
Instead of guessing, keep a short list of questions that need confirmation.
You may need to verify expected stair use, toilet assistance, bathing assistance, mobility equipment, transfer help or equipment that was recommended during the discharge process.
Bring those questions to the appropriate member of the care team before purchasing equipment or making significant changes to the home.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality also recommends involving patients and families in discharge planning and making sure they understand what life at home will be like after discharge.
The Simplest Solution Often Comes First
Preparing a home after a hospital or rehabilitation stay does not always require remodeling.
An easier entrance, a different bathroom, a temporary sleeping area, moved furniture or a cleared walking path may solve an immediate problem.
Start with what the home already offers.
Then determine what still needs to be verified, purchased, arranged or professionally evaluated.
That approach can help families focus their limited time and attention on the parts of the home that matter most for the planned return.
Get a Personalized Home Readiness Plan
Every home and return-home situation is different.
The Discharge Ready Home Home Readiness Check walks through the entrance, walking routes, bathroom, sleeping area, lighting, equipment and available help one step at a time.
Important Note
Discharge Ready Home provides general educational information about preparing the physical home.
This checklist does not evaluate a person’s medical condition, determine whether someone is ready for discharge, certify that a home is safe, prescribe medical equipment, or replace an individualized assessment or instructions from physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, discharge planners or other healthcare professionals.
When a home-preparation decision depends on a person’s abilities, mobility, transfer needs, equipment or medical restrictions, confirm the appropriate approach with the healthcare professionals involved in that person’s care.