Types of care
Post-surgery home care
Post-surgery home care is help at home during recovery from an operation. A caregiver may assist with walking, meals, bathing, errands, and medicine reminders. Nurses or therapists may add medical care if a doctor orders it. It supports recovery but does not replace the surgeon's instructions.
Why it matters for your family
The first weeks after surgery are risky for falls and missed medicine. Many people leave the hospital still weak, with stairs, stitches, or limits on lifting. A non-medical caregiver can help with meals, walking, bathing, and rides to follow-up visits. Follow the discharge plan closely. A common mistake is planning too little help for the first week. Ask the surgeon or discharge planner which tasks need a nurse and which a caregiver can do. Medicare may cover skilled home health after surgery for eligible patients, but not non-medical help on its own.
Source: medicare.gov
Related terms
- Discharge planningDischarge planning is the process a hospital, nursing home or other facility uses to prepare a patient to leave.
- Hospital dischargeHospital discharge is when a patient leaves the hospital to go home or to another care setting.
- Home health careHome health care is medical care given at home for an illness or injury, such as skilled nursing and therapy.
- Rehabilitation careRehabilitation care is therapy that helps a person regain strength, movement, speech, or daily skills after an illness, injury, or surgery.
- Fall riskFall risk is the chance that a person will fall and be hurt.
- Transitional careTransitional care is support that helps a person move safely from one care setting to another, such as from hospital to home.
