What to do when a parent comes home from the hospital or rehab

Does your parent need someone there when they get home? Ask the discharge team for a yes or no based on what your parent can do alone, then arrange help before discharge. Discharge feels slow because several people have to sign off: the doctor, the case manager, the pharmacy, the therapists and sometimes the insurer.

Maybe your mother had a hip repaired at a Harrisburg hospital and is now in a rehab center, and the staff mentioned Friday. Maybe your father has been in for a week with pneumonia and no one has told you who will be in the house when he arrives. Golden Hour Home Care Agency does not provide home health, assisted living or nursing home care.

The discharge date is still uncertain.

A discharge needs a doctor's order, a medication list, follow-up appointments, and any equipment such as a walker or a hospital bed. If your parent is going to rehab or home with therapy, someone has to find an open spot or an agency that can start right away.

Waiting on any one step holds up the rest.

Ask the case manager three things: what is the target date, what is still missing, and who will call you. Write the answers down. Ask for the discharge instructions in writing, and if your parent reads Spanish more easily, ask for them in Spanish.

If your parent is going from the hospital to a rehab facility, the same questions apply again on the rehab side. Ask the rehab social worker for a care meeting in the first week, not the last.

The house is not ready for your parent's return.

Think about the first 72 hours.

• A bed on the main floor, or a clear path to the bathroom
• Throw rugs and cords moved out of the way
• A shower chair and a raised toilet seat if the therapist suggests them
• A pill organizer filled from the new medication list
• Groceries that need little cooking
• A phone within reach, with your number at the top

Ask the rehab therapist whether your parent can manage stairs. If the answer is "with help," you need a person there, not just a railing.

How do you plan a winter discharge in Central Pennsylvania?

January and February add three problems: ice, the ride and the heat.

Ice. Salt the walkway, steps and the spot where the car will park, even if it looks clear in the morning. Refreezing after sunset is common. Ask a neighbor or a snow service to do it the day before and the day of.

The ride. Hospitals and rehab centers will not usually drive your parent home. Your parent may be sore, weak and unable to fold into a low car seat. Ask the therapist which seat and vehicle your parent can use safely, and how to help them get in and out. If a storm is forecast, ask the case manager whether discharge can move by a day. That is a reasonable request.

A warm house. Turn the heat up to a comfortable level a few hours before arrival. Check that the furnace works, that there is fuel or a paid bill behind it, and that there are extra blankets within reach.

If you live far away, ask a neighbor or relative to be at the house when the car pulls in. Someone needs to open the door and carry the bags.

What help does your parent need at home, and who pays for it?

Doctors may order home health: a clinician or therapist who visits for a set number of weeks. Medicare's home health benefit requires that a doctor see your parent in person and order the care, and that a Medicare-certified agency provide it. The page also says you will not qualify if you need more than part-time or intermittent skilled care, and it does not pay for 24-hour care, meals or custodial care. The Pennsylvania Department of Health licenses home health agencies in the state.

Plan for help between visits with tasks such as getting out of bed, bathing, making lunch, medication reminders and rides to appointments.

If your parent is 60 or older, call your county Area Agency on Aging about OPTIONS, a state program that helps people stay home. There are no income requirements to join, though your parent may pay part of the cost on a sliding scale based on income. Veterans and surviving spouses may also qualify for VA Aid and Attendance, an add-on to a VA pension.

For private pay, CareScout's 2025 survey puts Pennsylvania's median for a non-medical caregiver at $34 an hour, or $6,483 a month at 44 hours a week. Ask any agency for its rate in writing before you start.

When should you arrange post-hospital care, and who do you call first?

Arrange it before discharge, ideally two or three days ahead.

Call in this order:

1. The doctor or case manager, to confirm the date, the home health order and any limits on movement, bathing or stairs. 2. Your family, for a 20-minute talk about who covers which days and who can stay the first night. 3. A home care agency, to cover the gaps.

A first visit with an agency settles the practical things: which tasks your parent needs help with, which hours, who the caregiver will be, and what it costs. You can start small, with a few hours a day, and change it as your parent gets stronger. Golden Hour's post-hospital and rehab care can start with a few hours a week, with schedules changing as needs change.

If your parent lives in the city or nearby suburbs, ask about evening and weekend hours, since home care in Harrisburg often has to fill the hours when family is at work.

What happens if you call Golden Hour Home Care Agency?

The phone at (717) 219-8542 is answered 24 hours a day, and the owner, Judelissa Rosario, still leads the team. We are a locally owned, non-medical home care agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The first step is a free in-home consultation, a short call with Judelissa with nothing to prepare and nothing to sign. Our caregivers are screened, background-checked and trained, and they work alongside any home health or therapy visits the doctor has arranged. If you prefer, you can schedule a free assessment online, and messages get a reply within one business day.

Signs the discharge plan still has gaps