"They're sending Mom home tomorrow." Here's the next 48 hours.
Aging Sidekick gives you the questions to ask the case manager, a home-care plan to satisfy discharge planning, and a place to put the paperwork.
Aging Sidekick complements, not replaces, your healthcare team. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
What an unsafe discharge actually is
An unsafe discharge is what you call out when the hospital is moving faster than you can safely receive a loved one home. Naming it triggers the discharge planner's review and slows things down long enough to make a real plan.
Tell the hospital social worker that she's an unsafe discharge as no one's available to care for her.
You need to tell the hospital THESE WORDS EXACTLY: 'I cannot accept my mother into her home. If you discharge my mother it is an UNSAFE DISCHARGE and I will call the Joint Commission (JCAHO) to relieve your hospital of its license to practice medicine. My mother is bedridden. I am physically, mentally and emotionally unable to care for her at this time.'
— AlvaDeer and PeggySue2020, AgingCare.com, May 2024.
The discharge clock starts when the case manager says so.
Most families get less than 24 hours' notice before discharge. The case manager wants a home-care plan and a name to release your loved one to. You need clear questions, a plan you can hand back, and a way to keep every paper in one place.
Walk in with questions. Walk out with a plan.
A short, calm conversation with the case manager — backed by the right questions and a home-care plan they can sign off on — is the single biggest thing that slows an unsafe discharge.
- Ten questions to ask before you accept the discharge
- A printable Daily Care Plan you can hand to the case manager
- A private place for the discharge summary and the new med list
Three screens from the product
Voice intake — 15 minutes
Printable Daily Care Plan
Plain-English discharge summary
What about Medicare's 3-day rule?
Original Medicare only covers a stay at a skilled nursing facility (SNF) after a hospital stay if your loved one was an inpatient for at least three consecutive days. The midnights are counted starting the day they were admitted as an inpatient — the day of discharge does not count.
Watch for observation status. Time spent in the hospital under observation does not count toward the three-day requirement, even if your loved one was in a hospital bed the whole time. Ask the case manager: 'Is my mother admitted as an inpatient, or is she under observation?' Get the answer in writing.
Sources: Medicare.gov — SNF coverage · NIA — hospital discharge planning · AARP — observation status.
What caregivers tell us
Built with input from senior-care professionals
Encrypted in transit and at rest, access-controlled, and never sold. We are not a HIPAA-covered entity — see our Consumer Health Data Privacy Notice.
10 questions to ask the hospital case manager
A printable, plain-English checklist of the ten questions to ask before discharge — diagnosis, medication changes, follow-up provider, equipment, after-hours nurse line, and what an unsafe discharge looks like.
10 questions to ask the hospital case manager
A printable, plain-English checklist of the ten questions to ask before discharge — diagnosis, medication changes, follow-up provider, equipment, after-hours nurse line, and what an unsafe discharge looks like.
Caregivers ask these the most.
We did not get a printed discharge summary. Is that normal?
My loved one seems more confused than before. Is that the medication?
I cannot remember what the nurse said about the wound dressing.
Should we go to the emergency room or wait for the doctor?
Start your loved one's plan free — takes 15 minutes.
120 minutes/month of voice on Premium; 15 minutes on Free. No card required.