A guide for families
Your parent is coming home from hospital. The first two weeks matter
Going home is good news, and it is also a risky moment. Your parent may be weaker, on new medication and tired, in a house that is the same as before. This page is a practical checklist for the first two weeks, and shows where a daily check-in call can help.
Why the first two weeks matter
After a hospital stay, older people are often less steady on their feet, less hungry, more easily confused and more likely to mix up medication. Small problems can grow quickly when nobody is watching, and many families find the days after discharge the hardest to cover.
The aim is simple: make sure the basics are in place before you leave the ward, then keep regular, gentle contact for the first fortnight while your parent regains strength.
Before they leave the hospital
Ask the ward, the discharge planner or the hospital social worker. It is their job to help.
- Get the discharge summary and a clear, written list of medications: what is new, what has changed and what has stopped.
- Ask what warning signs to watch for, and who to call about them.
- Ask about follow-up appointments, tests and scripts, and write down the dates.
- Ask whether your parent needs a physiotherapy or occupational therapy review, and whether equipment such as a shower chair, rails or a walking frame is needed at home.
- Ask the discharge planner whether short-term support after hospital is available, and whether a My Aged Care assessment makes sense.
- Confirm who is collecting your parent, whether the house is warm and has food in it, and that someone will be there on arrival.
The practical checklist for the first fortnight
Medications
Throw out or set aside old, stopped medication. Use a pill organiser or ask the pharmacist about a blister pack. Check every dose against the discharge list. New medication and changed doses are a common source of mistakes.
Follow-ups
Book a GP visit soon after discharge and bring the discharge summary. Arrange transport to appointments. Keep one notebook with questions, dates and results so that nothing gets lost between siblings.
Meals and drinks
Stock the fridge with easy food before they arrive. Consider frozen meals, a meal delivery service or Meals on Wheels. Keep drinks within reach, because dehydration sneaks up on older people.
Falls and the home
Clear walkways and loose rugs, add night lights, check the bathroom and keep the phone within reach. Be extra careful on the first few trips to the toilet at night. Ask the hospital therapist about any home changes they recommend.
Rest and recovery
Expect tiredness. Encourage short, gentle movement as the hospital team advised, and rest in between. Watch for low mood, which is common after a hospital stay.
Who checks in, and when
Write a simple roster for the first two weeks: who visits, who phones, and when. Include neighbours who have agreed to help. Having named people on named days prevents the gaps that happen when everyone assumes someone else has rung.
If anything looks wrong, such as new confusion, a fall, chest pain, breathlessness or not eating, call the GP or the hospital's advice line the same day. In an emergency, call 000.
Where a daily check-in call fits for discharge support
You cannot be there every day, and your parent may not want you hovering. A daily call from Mary covers the gap between visits: a short, friendly conversation at a time you choose, asking about how your parent slept, whether they ate, whether they took their tablets and how they are feeling.
After each call you receive a short update and a gentle alert by SMS or email if something sounds off, such as a low mood, a skipped meal or confusion. That gives you the chance to ring, visit or call the GP early. If your parent does not answer after the retries, the family is notified so that you can check in yourself.
It works alongside your roster, the GP and any services the hospital arranged. It does not replace any of them. You can also pause calls during a hospital stay and restart them when your parent is home.
Mary calls any landline or mobile, so your parent does not need to learn anything new while they are recovering.
What a daily check-in call costs
If you decide a daily call would help, pricing is simple and there is no lock-in.
A$39.95 per month
for daily calls
- A 14 day free trial, with no credit card needed to start.
- Cancel at any time in Settings. There are no contracts or cancellation fees.
- No equipment to buy or install. Mary calls any landline or mobile.
What Nonni is not
Mary is a companion check-in service. She is not an emergency service, she is not a medical service and she is not a replacement for a personal alarm. She cannot send help to the door.
If your loved one does not answer after the retries, we notify the family so that you can check in yourself. We suggest you talk with your loved one about the calls before you begin, so they feel like a welcome addition and not surveillance.
In an emergency, always call 000.