# Hospital discharge checklist: what to ask before a parent comes home > Questions to ask before an aging parent leaves the hospital: medication changes, follow-ups, equipment, warning signs, and what to do if discharge feels unsafe. Canonical: https://getparentfile.com/guides/hospital-discharge-checklist Updated: 2026-10-25 ยท Publisher: ParentFile Organizational guidance for families. Not medical or legal advice. ## Short answer Before a parent leaves the hospital, get in writing: which medications were started, changed or stopped; follow-up appointments and tests; warning signs and who to call (including after hours); equipment and home help that's been arranged; and activity or diet limits. Have a second person at the discharge talk, take notes, and update the medication list the same day. If the discharge seems unsafe, say so to the discharge planner. Medicare patients can ask for a fast appeal. ## Why discharge is the risky moment Hospital discharge is a handover: from round-the-clock staff to you, your parent and whoever helps at home. A lot of information changes hands in a short conversation, often when everyone is tired. The research AARP summarized in July 2026 shows how easily things get lost. In one study, more than 90% of patients felt confident they understood their care, but only 43% to 64% could accurately recall key details about their diagnosis, treatment and medication changes within two days of discharge. In another, nearly 40% of older adults made at least one medication error within a week of leaving the hospital ([AARP, citing studies in *The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety* (2023) and the *Journal of General Internal Medicine* (2025)](https://www.aarp.org/health/healthcare/hospital-discharge-tips-older-adults/)). None of this means you need medical training. It means you need a checklist and a pen. > This is organizational guidance for families, not medical or legal advice. Ask the hospital team about anything specific to your parent's care. ## Before the discharge day - [ ] **Ask who the discharge planner or case manager is**, and get their name and direct number. - [ ] **Ask when discharge is expected.** Planning should start early in the stay, not on the last morning. - [ ] **Tell the team who will be helping at home**, and be honest about what you can and can't do. - [ ] **Ask whether your parent will need rehab, skilled nursing or home health care**, and who arranges it. - [ ] **Ask about equipment** (walker, shower chair, hospital bed, oxygen): what's needed, whether insurance covers it, and when it will be delivered. - [ ] **Arrange transport home**, and someone to stay with or check on your parent for the first days. Medicare's free *Your Discharge Planning Checklist* covers these steps in more detail, including a drug list and appointment pages you can print ([Medicare.gov, PDF](https://www.medicare.gov/publications/11376-your-discharge-planning-checklist.pdf)). ## The discharge conversation: questions to ask Bring a second person if you can, or put a sibling on speakerphone. Write everything down, or ask if you can record the instructions. AARP's discharge advice suggests the same, and also repeating instructions back to the nurse in your own words. ### Diagnosis and recovery - [ ] What was the main problem, and what was done about it? - [ ] What should recovery look like over the next few days and weeks? - [ ] What activities are OK, and what should be avoided (driving, stairs, lifting, bathing)? - [ ] Are there diet or fluid instructions? ### Medications: start, change, stop This is the most important part. Ask for a written list that clearly marks each medicine as: - **New**: started in the hospital, to continue at home - **Changed**: a different dose or timing from before - **Stopped**: no longer to be taken (and what to do with the bottles at home) - **Unchanged**: continue as before Then ask: - [ ] Have any of my parent's usual medicines been stopped or replaced? What about over-the-counter medicines and supplements? - [ ] Which doses were already given today, so we don't double up tonight? - [ ] Have the new prescriptions been sent to the pharmacy? Can they be filled before we leave? - [ ] What side effects should we watch for, and what do we do about a missed dose? Compare the discharge list against your [medication list from before the hospital stay](https://getparentfile.com/guides/medication-list-for-elderly-parent), line by line, and ask about anything that doesn't match. Don't change anything yourself. ### Follow-up - [ ] Which follow-up appointments are needed, with whom, and by when? Are they booked? - [ ] Are any tests, blood work or scans needed after discharge? - [ ] Will the primary care doctor receive the discharge summary? ### Warning signs and who to call - [ ] Which symptoms mean "call the doctor", and which mean "go to the ER or call 911"? - [ ] Who do we call with questions: the department, the doctor, a nurse line? What's the after-hours number? ### Paperwork - [ ] Get the written discharge instructions and summary, and read them **before** you leave so you can ask questions. - [ ] Ask for copies of any test results that the follow-up doctors will need. ## If the discharge seems unsafe or too soon Sometimes discharge is planned before the family feels ready: there's no one at home, the equipment hasn't arrived, or your parent can't manage stairs yet. Raise it with the discharge planner as early as possible, and be specific about what's missing. **For people with Medicare in the US:** hospitals should give an *Important Message from Medicare about Your Rights* within two days of admission and again before discharge. If your parent (or their representative) thinks they're being discharged too soon, they can ask for a fast appeal by following the instructions on that notice, no later than the day of planned discharge. If they ask in time, they can stay in the hospital while the independent reviewer (a BFCC-QIO) decides, without paying for the extra days apart from usual coinsurance or deductibles. Medicare Advantage plans have their own appeal process ([Medicare.gov: fast appeals](https://www.medicare.gov/providers-services/claims-appeals-complaints/appeals/fast-appeals)). **In England**, NHS hospital trusts have a duty to involve unpaid carers in discharge planning as soon as feasible, subject to the patient's consent ([Carers UK](https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/practical-support/coming-out-of-hospital/coming-out-of-hospital-checklist/)). See also our [UK guide](https://getparentfile.com/guides/uk-message-in-a-bottle-lpa-checklist). ## The first 48 hours at home - [ ] **Update the medication list the same day**, and remove stopped medicines from the pill organizer and cupboard (ask the pharmacist how to dispose of them). - [ ] **Pick up new prescriptions** before the first evening dose is due. - [ ] **Put the follow-up appointments in a shared calendar** and arrange transport. - [ ] **Tell your siblings what changed.** One message with the new list beats five phone calls. - [ ] **Reprint the fridge sheet and wallet card** so the ER sees the current list if there's another visit. - [ ] **Watch for the warning signs** you were given, and keep the after-hours number by the phone. ## Where ParentFile fits ParentFile's discharge tool was built for exactly this moment. Photograph the discharge papers, and it lays out what's **new, changed and stopped** compared with the current list. You confirm each change, the ER sheet updates, and siblings get a notification. It organizes what's written on the papers. It doesn't decide anything about treatment, and every sheet says "Verify with prescriber/pharmacist". ## Frequently asked questions ### What questions should I ask before my parent is discharged from the hospital? Ask which medications were started, changed or stopped; which follow-up appointments and tests are needed; which warning signs mean calling the doctor or going back to the ER; who to call after hours; and what equipment and help at home have been arranged. Get the answers in writing. ### What is an unsafe discharge? Families generally use the term when a patient is sent home without the care, equipment, support or information they need to be safe there. If you're worried, tell the discharge planner specifically what's missing. People with Medicare can ask for a fast appeal using the notice the hospital provides. ### Can family refuse a hospital discharge? Families can raise concerns and ask for the plan to be reviewed. A patient with Medicare, or their representative, can request a fast appeal by the day of planned discharge and may stay while it's reviewed. Rules differ for Medicare Advantage, other insurance, and outside the US. ### What should I do with my parent's medication list after a hospital stay? Compare it line by line with the discharge instructions, mark what's new, changed or stopped, ask about any differences before you leave, and update every copy (fridge, wallet, siblings) the same day. ### Is there an official hospital discharge checklist? Yes. Medicare publishes a free 'Your Discharge Planning Checklist' (CMS Product No. 11376) for patients and caregivers, and Carers UK publishes a 'Coming out of hospital' checklist for carers in the UK. ## Sources - [Your Discharge Planning Checklist (CMS Product No. 11376, revised December 2025)](https://www.medicare.gov/publications/11376-your-discharge-planning-checklist.pdf), Medicare.gov - [Fast appeals](https://www.medicare.gov/providers-services/claims-appeals-complaints/appeals/fast-appeals), Medicare.gov - [10 Steps to Take Before You Leave the Hospital (July 8, 2026)](https://www.aarp.org/health/healthcare/hospital-discharge-tips-older-adults/), AARP - [Coming out of hospital checklist](https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/practical-support/coming-out-of-hospital/coming-out-of-hospital-checklist/), Carers UK