What to expect after discharge from the hospital

By The Family Room Care Team Last reviewed June 2025

Leaving the hospital is an important step – and many people are surprised by difficulties during the transition home. The hospital has all kinds of equipment and people that provide support in subtle ways. 

Here are some common challenges that you or your loved one may face. Pick any of the tips about how to cope with them that fits your situation:

Changes in Look

You might notice:

  • Hair loss (usually grows back)
  • Dramatic weight changes
  • Tight, uncomfortable scars

What you can do:

  • Ask for a nutritionist referral
  • Seek help for scar tissue or swelling from a nurse, massage therapist, or lymphedema clinic

Cloudy thinking

You might have trouble with:

  • Remembering things
  • Making lists and managing time
  • Feeling motivated

What you can do:

  • Ask for help! This is really important.
  • Talk to your doctor about medications that might help
  • Try counseling or join a support group
  • Find activities that you enjoy and have energy for

Changes in mood and motivation

Many people feel alone or like people don’t know what they have gone through after a critical illness.

You might feel:

  • Feeling alone or misunderstood
  • Easily tired or bored

What you can do:

  • Ask for help! This is really important
TIP

Remember: it’s important to rely on others for help — see our tips on asking for help.

  • Talk to your doctor about medications that might help
  • Try counseling or join a support group
  • Find activities that you enjoy and have energy for

Weakness and exhaustion

Being very sick can make you weak. You might get tired just going to the bathroom or kitchen. This is normal, here are some proven tips to help you.

Make sleep rituals.

Getting a good night’s rest is important to have energy for the day. Here are some behaviors that can help people get to sleep and stay asleep:

  • Exercise during the day – but not within 2 hours of bedtime.
  • If napping during the day, play with the time of day and duration so it doesn’t disrupt sleep at night.
  • Avoid alcohol or benzodiazepine medications (e.g., lorazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam, diazepam) within 2 hours of bedtime.
  • Turn off electronic devices 30 minutes before bed.
  • Drink herbal tea or warm milk to relax.
  • Read a book or listen to calming music to help your mind wind down.
  • Toilet just before bed. If you often need to get up in the middle of the night, have everything in place to get there safely (e.g., night lights on, obstacles out of the way, walker handy)
  • Consider using eye masks, ear plugs, or white/brown noise to reduce sleep interference from light or noise. Many streaming music services have brown and white noise tracks.
Set realistic goals to build healthy habits over time.

It’s not realistic to go back to life as usual all at once – but you can build up to it. Physical therapists and occupational therapists can help set goals that balance making progress with taking time for recovery.

Conserve the energy you have for activities that inspire you to keep on keeping on.

Occupational therapists can teach energy conservation strategies. Just make sure there is space for joy as you adapt and heal.

Track and celebrate your progress.

Progress is typically slower than anyone imagines – at least 1 week for every day in the hospital, and even more if the hospital stay was long. That means progress is like marathon training: impossible to see on a day-to-day basis. Set goals. Find an accountability partner to tell about how close you are to meeting your goals. And if you’re not making the progress you wish, set a smaller short-term goal that can remind you that you are making progress – and keep you motivated to keep going

Balancing Support and Independence

  • Getting better takes time. Expect at least 1 week of recovery for every day you spent in the hospital.
  • Encourage your loved one to do as much as they safely can on their own.
  • Celebrate small improvements – they add up over time.
  • Help your loved one stay connected with friends and family through visits, calls, or video chats.

Continue the habits that helped you get here as you transition home and continue healing. You’re doing great!