Caregiver Checklist for the First 7 Days at Home

Written by the Healthy Jeena Sikho Care Team  ·  Medically reviewed by Dr. Aman Jain  ·  Last updated 2 September 2026

The first week home is the week that decides how the next three months go. It is also the week when everyone is most tired, least organised and most reluctant to ask for help. This checklist is built to be worked through in order — what to do before the patient arrives, then day by day — so that decisions get made while there is still time to make them calmly.

Before the patient arrives

At the hospital, before you leave

• Get the discharge summary in hand and read it before leaving. It should set out the diagnosis, what was done, medicines started, stopped or changed, and why.¹
• Ask what the patient can and cannot do — weight bearing, bending, lifting, stairs, driving, bathing and when the wound may get wet.
• Ask when physiotherapy should start, and whether a referral has been made.
• Get every prescription filled before you go home, not the next morning.
• Confirm the follow-up date and who to contact for the wound, for general deterioration, and at night.
• Ask what warning signs to watch for specifically for this patient and this operation.
• Take photographs of the wound and the dressing as it looks on day zero, so changes are obvious later.
• Ask the nurse to demonstrate anything you will have to do — dressing, catheter care, injections, feeding.

At home, before they walk in

• Bed installed in position, tested, with 90 cm clear on the working side and the headboard against a solid wall.
• Route from bed to bathroom walked in the dark and cleared of rugs, wires, stools and thresholds.
• Bathroom fitted with a grab bar, raised seat or commode chair, and a non-slip mat.
• Sockets tested, with a dedicated one for any concentrator or pump.
• Reach zone built — water, phone, medicines, tissues, call bell, spectacles, bed remote on the patient's stronger side.
• Hygiene corner set up near the door with gloves, sanitiser, wipes, spare linen and a covered bin.
• Night lights placed along the route, and a light switch within arm's reach of the bed.
• Emergency card taped to the wall — surgeon, physician, nearest hospital, ambulance, equipment service number.

Day by day through the first week

The daily routine that runs through all seven days

Medicines: the biggest week-one failure

• One box, one chart, one person. Loose strips in a drawer is how doses get missed or doubled.
• Write the chart by time of day, not by medicine name, so whoever is on duty can read it at a glance.
• Explicitly check what has been stopped. Continuing a pre-admission medicine that was discontinued is a common and dangerous error.
• Watch for duplicates — the same drug under two brand names is easy to miss.
• Note what needs food, and what must be spaced apart from other medicines.
• Plan the refill before the strip runs out, especially for blood thinners, insulin and cardiac medicines.
• Never give leftover or borrowed medicines, and never add an antibiotic without advice.
• Take the whole list, including supplements and ayurvedic products, to the follow-up appointment.

Dividing the work before anyone burns out

Looking after the caregiver

• Sleep is not optional. Four hours a night for a week impairs judgement, and judgement is what keeps the patient safe.
• Eat proper meals sitting down. Caregivers who eat standing at the counter stop eating properly within days.
• Protect your back. Raise the bed, use a draw sheet, get a second person for anything you are unsure about. Never lift under the armpits.
• Take one break outside the house in the first week, even for thirty minutes.
• Accept specific offers of help and refuse vague ones. "Bring dinner Thursday" is help; "call me if you need anything" is not.
• Keep one thing that is yours — a walk, a call to a friend, a show. Losing every personal routine at once is what makes caregiving feel like disappearance.
• Talk to someone about it, not only about logistics. Anger, resentment and guilt are normal and worth saying out loud.

What is normal in week one, and what is not

The paperwork to sort in week one

• Discharge summary — one physical copy in the patient's file, one photographed on two phones.
• All reports and scans collected and kept together, not scattered across bags.
• Follow-up appointments confirmed and written on the wall calendar, not only in someone's phone.
• Insurance claim started, with bills, discharge summary and reports as required by the insurer.
• Medicine list typed or written cleanly and photographed, so it can be shared instantly in an emergency.
• Equipment rental paperwork and the service number filed with the rest.
• Contact card on the wall — surgeon, physician, nearest emergency hospital, equipment service, ambulance.
• A single notebook for the daily chart, questions for the doctor and anything unusual.

The end-of-week review

1. Is the patient better, the same, or worse than day one? Use the chart, not impressions.
2. What is not under control? Pain, sleep, appetite, bowels, mood, mobility.
3. Is the equipment right? What is unused, and what is missing.
4. Is the rota holding? Who has done too much, and what changes on Monday.
5. Is anybody sleeping badly? Including the caregiver.
6. What are the goals for week two, agreed with the physiotherapist and the treating doctor.

One last thing worth doing: tell the patient what improved. From inside a difficult week, progress is invisible. Being told they walked further than on day two, or ate a full meal for the first time, does more for motivation than any amount of encouragement in general terms.

Where Healthy Jeena Sikho sets up and staffs the first week

A free home assessment and same-day installation may be available in serviceable locations, subject to stock and service availability. Healthy Jeena Sikho does not provide emergency medical care — for an emergency, dial 112 or go to the nearest hospital.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be arranged before the patient comes home?

The bed installed in position with clear working space, the bed-to-bathroom route cleared and lit, a grab bar and raised seat or commode chair in the bathroom, sockets tested, a reach zone beside the bed, a hygiene corner near the door, and an emergency contact card on the wall. Also collect the discharge summary, fill every prescription, and confirm the follow-up appointment before leaving the hospital.

What is the most common mistake in the first week at home?

Medicine errors. Patients usually come home on more medicines than they went in with, with some doses changed and some pre-admission medicines stopped. Continuing something that was discontinued, or taking the same drug under two brand names, is common and dangerous. Use one box, one written chart organised by time of day, and one person responsible.

How soon should the patient start moving after discharge?

As soon as the treating doctor or surgeon allows, usually within the first days. Sitting out of bed helps breathing, digestion, mood and pressure care, and physiotherapy generally begins as soon as the patient is medically stable. Waiting for the patient to feel stronger first works backwards, because strength continues to fall during bed rest.

Why do days four and five feel harder?

The relief of being home has worn off, progress feels slow, and both patient and caregiver are tired from several disturbed nights. It is a recognised dip rather than a sign that something is wrong, and it usually passes. It is also the point at which the caregiver rota should be reviewed honestly, and night cover arranged if one person has been carrying the nights.

How do you divide caregiving among family members?

Name the roles rather than leaving it informal: medicines, meals, hygiene, physiotherapy supervision, appointments and paperwork, and nights. Nobody should do more than two nights in a row. Give distant relatives concrete tasks such as pharmacy runs or insurance paperwork, and have one person be the single point of contact with doctors so instructions do not get contradictory.

What should be recorded daily at home?

Temperature, pulse and blood pressure, oxygen saturation if advised, wound appearance at each dressing change, a pain score, food and fluid intake, urine and bowel movements, and alertness and mood. Most complications appear as a trend over a day or two before they become urgent, and the chart is also exactly what the doctor will ask for at the follow-up.

When should a family arrange a paid attendant?

Ideally in the first days rather than after a crisis. An attendant arranged calmly on day one is easier to organise and usually works out better than one arranged urgently on day six. It is particularly worth doing where the patient needs turning through the night, where there is only one family caregiver, or where that caregiver is elderly.

What is normal and what is not in the first week?

Tiredness, some pain that eases day by day, reduced appetite for a few days, disturbed sleep and feeling low at times are all expected. Not expected: pain increasing day on day, new confusion, spreading redness or pus at the wound, breathlessness at rest, a fall, pain or swelling in one calf, or almost no food and fluid intake for more than a day or two. Those need a call to the doctor.

How do caregivers avoid burning out in the first week?

Protect sleep, eat proper meals sitting down, raise the bed and use a draw sheet to protect your back, take at least one break outside the house, and accept specific offers of help rather than vague ones. Warning signs worth acting on include exhaustion that sleep does not fix, dreading going into the room, or snapping and then feeling guilty. These mean the arrangement needs changing, not that you are failing. If you feel persistently low or unable to cope, speak to a doctor about your own health as well.

What paperwork needs sorting in the first week?

The discharge summary copied and photographed, all reports and scans kept together, follow-up appointments confirmed and written on a wall calendar, the insurance claim started with the required bills and documents, a clean copy of the medicine list photographed for sharing, equipment rental paperwork filed, and an emergency contact card on the wall.

In which cities does Healthy Jeena Sikho set up and staff the first week?

Delivery, installation, nursing and attendant support are available in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Kharar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Jaipur and Lucknow, subject to serviceable pin code and stock. Equipment sales are available more widely across India. Call +91 98769 78488 or WhatsApp +91 98759 15278 to check your location.