What Support Can Help After a Hospital Discharge in Toronto?
After a hospital stay, many families need help with the ordinary parts of the day: getting washed and dressed, eating properly, moving safely around the house, remembering medications and getting to follow-up appointments. Our Toronto caregivers provide that non-medical support and work alongside the nurses, therapists and doctors responsible for clinical care. If someone in your family is coming home soon, call our Toronto team at (416) 663-2930 and we can plan visits around the recovery plan.
Key Takeaways
- Private home care after hospital discharge in Toronto can provide non-medical support with personal care, meals, mobility and routines, working alongside clinical care.
- Ontario’s February 2026 hospital-to-home quality standard says needed home care should be arranged before discharge and in place on arrival home.
- About 52% of fall-related hospitalizations among adults 65+ followed falls in a household residence, based on PHAC data pooled across 2015/2016 to 2019/2020 (Quebec not included).
- Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program pays 75% of the approved price of eligible mobility aids needed for 6 months or longer, but not bath seats or grab bars.
- Before discharge, ask for the written transition plan, then call (416) 663-2930 so we can schedule the first visits around it.
Quick Answer: What Help at Home Looks Like After Discharge
Help at home after a hospital discharge comes in two kinds, and many families use some of both. Clinical support covers nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Non-medical support covers the rest of the day, including bathing, dressing, meals, housework, getting around the house and company.
Ontario lists the two separately on its home and community care page: nursing care, “including help to take medications, change bandages and clean wounds,” and personal support such as bathing, dressing, eating and toileting. If you qualify, the province pays for home care arranged through Ontario Health atHome, and the same page notes that “you can also pay for your own care through private companies.”
Private home care can be arranged directly, without waiting for a public eligibility assessment, and it can work alongside publicly funded visits.
How Comfort Keepers Toronto Can Help After Discharge
Comfort Keepers Toronto provides non-medical support that can be scheduled around a hospital discharge plan and around publicly funded or clinical visits. Depending on the care plan, support can include personal care, meal preparation, mobility assistance, medication reminders, light housekeeping, companionship, family respite, errands and accompaniment to appointments. Clinical care, such as injections, wound care and rehabilitation, stays with nurses and therapists, and our caregivers work alongside them. Call (416) 663-2930 to talk through the first days or weeks at home, or read more about our hospital-to-home transition support in Toronto.
Plan for the First 24 to 72 Hours
The first three days go more smoothly when the house is ready before your family member walks through the door. The first evening is often when practical gaps become obvious: an unfilled prescription, no easy meal ready, or a dark route to the bathroom. Almost all of that can be sorted in advance.
Before Leaving Hospital
Ontario Health’s Transitions Between Hospital and Home quality standard (2026) says people should leave with a written transition plan and follow-up care “coordinated and booked before leaving hospital,” and that needed home care services are “arranged before people leave hospital and are in place when they return home.” The questions further down this page help you confirm each of those before the day.
Getting Home and the First Evening
Plan the trip home for a time when someone can be there, and arrange the ride in advance if getting in and out of a car will be awkward. Have prescriptions filled before the day, or on the way home. Stock the kitchen with a simple meal, and put a drink within reach of the chair and the bed.
Ask the discharge team whether your family member should have someone with them on the first night, and plan who that will be. If you would like our caregiver to help around the arrival home, tell us before the discharge date so we can plan for it.
Getting the Home Ready
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that approximately 52% of fall-related hospitalizations among adults 65 and older followed falls in a household residence, based on data pooled across 2015/2016 to 2019/2020 (Quebec not included). A 2025 PHAC summary found that 61% of falls occurred while walking (2017/2018 data). PHAC’s current advice on preventing falls for older adults starts at home: “Clear your home of tripping hazards.” Its Safe Living Guide adds the specifics:
- A clear path from the bed to the bathroom, with night lights along the way.
- Grab bars by the bathtub or shower and beside the toilet. A towel rack is not a substitute.
- Non-slip surfaces in the tub or shower, and bath mats with rubberized or non-skid backing.
- A bath seat, so a shower can be taken sitting down.
- No throw rugs or scatter mats on the routes the person will use.
- Solid handrails on both sides of any stairs.
One cost detail catches families out. Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program pays 75% of the approved price for devices such as wheelchairs and wheeled walkers, but only where the need will last 6 months or longer, and it does not cover bath and shower aids, grab bars or raised toilet seats. Budget for those separately.
Figure 1. The first 72 hours at home. Before discharge: get the written plan, confirm the follow-up appointment, check what home care is booked, and ask whether someone should stay the first night. On day one: have prescriptions, a simple meal, drinks, a lit path to the bathroom and a bath seat ready. Over days two and three: settle a routine, keep medication reminders on time, note any equipment still needed and agree one family contact.
Daily Activities a Home Caregiver Can Support
A home caregiver takes on the parts of the day that are tiring or unsafe to do alone during recovery, so your family member can save their energy for rest and the exercises the team set.
Personal Care and Bathing
A wet floor, the edge of a tub and tired legs are a poor combination in the first weeks. A caregiver can be there for the shower or bath, help with washing, drying and dressing, and encourage anything that needs balance to be done sitting down. The same visit can cover shaving, hair care and grooming.
Meals, Hydration and the Kitchen
Our caregivers shop, cook and clear up, following any diet instructions from the discharge team, and keep drinks within reach through the day. Health Canada’s healthy eating advice for seniors explains why: “As you age, your sense of thirst may decline, but you still need to drink regularly whether you feel thirsty or not.” It also suggests eating with someone when you can, because “eating with others is great for the company and it can also be good for your health.”
Moving Around the House Safely
If the hospital physiotherapist or occupational therapist has shown your family member how to use a walker or get out of bed safely, our caregivers stand by while they do it the way they were shown: on the stairs, on the walk to the bathroom, and with the path kept clear. The therapist stays in charge of exercises and mobility goals.
Medication Reminders and Appointments
Discharge often brings changes to medications. A caregiver can remind your family member when doses are due, using the schedule on the discharge plan. It is also worth asking the pharmacist about MedsCheck. If your family member qualifies for the program, Ontario’s ministry guidance for pharmacists says a hospital discharge can trigger a follow-up medication review, completed within two weeks of discharge.
Our caregivers can also go with your family member to follow-up appointments, pick up prescriptions on the way, and help keep track of when the next visit is.
Company and Noticing Changes
A familiar person in the house brings company and a reason to get dressed, which matters most for someone who lives alone. If our caregiver notices a change, such as eating less or finding the stairs harder, we will pass it on to the family so they can contact the care team.
Table 1. What a home caregiver can help with after discharge
| Daily activity | What that help can look like |
| Bathing and personal care | Help with washing, drying, dressing, grooming and toileting |
| Moving around the house | Someone beside them on the walk to the bathroom and on the stairs |
| Meals and fluids | Shopping, cooking to any diet instructions, drinks kept within reach |
| Medication reminders | Prompts at the times set out in the discharge plan |
| Appointments and errands | Going with them to follow-up appointments, pharmacy pick-ups, groceries |
| Light housekeeping | Tidying, dishes and keeping walkways clear |
| Company and updates to family | Conversation, a steady routine, passing changes on to family |
When Clinical or Nursing Help May Be Needed
Clinical tasks such as injections, clinical wound care and regulated procedures should be handled by the appropriate health professional. Some of these activities, including procedures below the dermis and administering substances by injection, are controlled acts under Ontario’s Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. The College of Nurses of Ontario’s Scope of Practice standard describes the controlled acts nurses are authorized to perform, subject to applicable requirements. Where a person is eligible, Ontario Health atHome can arrange publicly funded nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy at home.
Signs It Is Time to Call Someone
The discharge instructions come first, because they are written for your family member’s situation and should say who to contact. Health811 connects you with a registered nurse for free, confidential health advice, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 811 (TTY 711). For emergencies, Ontario’s guidance is to call 911 for symptoms like loss of consciousness, pain not relieved by pain medication, confusion, persistent severe chest pain or breathing difficulty.
For clinical questions or urgent symptoms, follow the discharge team’s instructions and contact the appropriate health professional. Comfort Keepers supports the non-medical parts of recovery and can work alongside nursing, therapy and other clinical care.
How Non-Medical and Clinical Support Work Together
A typical week might look like this. A nurse visits for a dressing change, or a therapist for an assessment, and our caregiver covers the hours your family chooses around those visits, such as the bath before, lunch after and company in the afternoon. If a task falls outside the caregiver’s non-medical role, we will direct the family back to the appropriate clinical provider or discharge team.
Figure 2. Who to call after a hospital discharge. Call 911 for emergency symptoms. Call Health811 (811) for health questions at any hour. For questions about the plan, medications or publicly funded services, contact the discharge team, family doctor, pharmacist or Ontario Health atHome (1-833-515-1234). For everyday help at home, call Comfort Keepers Toronto at (416) 663-2930.
Questions to Ask Before Discharge
Ask for the plan in writing, and ask who to call once you are home. The questions below are drawn from Going Home From the Hospital, the guide Ontario Health published alongside its 2026 standard, and asking them early helps the family and the hospital team work from the same plan. If you are not sure who to ask, the City of Toronto suggests that families speak to a social worker or charge nurse at the hospital.
About the Plan and Who Is in Charge
- Who is in charge of planning the move home? The 2026 standard says people admitted to hospital should have a named clinician responsible for transition planning, coordination and communication.
- Can we have a copy of the written transition plan?
- Once we are home, who do we contact with questions about the plan?
- Can family be involved in the planning? The same standard includes family members and care partners where the person consents.
About Care, Equipment and Cost at Home
- Will home care or personal support be needed? How soon, and how often?
- Has a referral been made to Ontario Health atHome, and when is the first visit?
- Will we need equipment such as a hospital bed, shower chair, raised toilet seat or walker? Who arranges it, and who pays?
- What is publicly funded, and what will we need to pay for? Ontario’s standard says the care team should explain this.
About Medications and Follow-Up
- Which medications have been added, stopped or changed, and why?
- How should each one be taken, and for how long?
- When is the follow-up appointment, and are any tests needed?
- If getting to the appointment is difficult, can we get help with transportation?
How Family and Paid Care Can Share the Work
Family usually keeps the parts they want to do and hands the rest to paid care, starting with the hours that are hardest to cover.
In Statistics Canada’s 2018 caregiving data, transportation was the most common help given by people caring for a parent or parent-in-law, at 84%, followed by meal preparation and house cleaning at 64%. CIHI reports that more than 2 in 5 unpaid caregivers of long-stay home care clients are distressed. After a discharge, those jobs can start all at once.
Dividing the Week
Start by covering the hardest hours of the day rather than a set number of hours. For many families that means the morning (getting up, washing, dressing, breakfast and medications), the bath, and the evening. The hours can be adjusted as strength returns. Choosing one family contact and keeping one shared note of the plan, medication times and appointments keeps everyone working from the same week.
When Family Lives Far Away or Works Full Time
All of this can be arranged from a distance. With the person’s consent, anyone can make a referral to Ontario Health atHome on their behalf, including a family member or friend, and private care can be arranged from a distance. If you need time off work, Ontario’s Family Caregiver Leave is “unpaid, job-protected leave of up to eight weeks per calendar year per specified family member,” and a certificate from a qualified health practitioner must eventually be obtained. This is general information, not legal advice.
Table 2. Who can handle what after discharge
| Task | Family | Private caregiver (our team) | Ontario Health atHome (if eligible) | Hospital and clinical team |
| Planning the move home | Takes part in planning and keeps the written plan | Schedules visits to fit the discharge plan | Care coordinator assesses needs and builds a care plan | A named clinician should lead transition planning |
| Personal care and bathing | Helps where comfortable | Bathing, dressing, grooming and toileting | Personal support visits, based on assessment | Advises on any precautions |
| Meals and household | Favourite foods, visits and company | Shopping, cooking and light housekeeping | Homemaking in some circumstances | Sets any diet instructions |
| Medications | Picks up prescriptions | Reminders at the times on the plan | Nursing where assessed as needed | Prescribes, reviews and explains changes |
| Wound care, injections and therapy | Follows the clinical team’s instructions; some tasks require a regulated professional | Works around nursing and therapy visits, covering the rest of the day | Nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy if eligible | Directs all clinical care |
| Appointments and transport | Attends key appointments where possible | Accompaniment to appointments | Can connect people to community transportation services | Should book follow-up care before discharge |
| Equipment | Arranges purchase or installation | Keeps routes clear and equipment where it is needed | Medical supplies and equipment where eligible | Recommends what is needed |
| Updates | Main point of contact | Passes day-to-day changes on to family | Adjusts the care plan when needed | Should share the plan with the family doctor within 48 hours of discharge |
Sources for this table: Ontario Health, Transitions Between Hospital and Home (2026); Ontario Health atHome, Home Care; Government of Ontario, Home and community care. The clinical team column reflects Ontario’s quality standard, which describes what should happen. Publicly funded services depend on Ontario Health atHome’s assessment of needs and eligibility.
Toronto Next Steps
Toronto also has public and community services for the weeks after discharge, and many work well alongside private care.
Table 3. Toronto resources after a hospital stay
| Resource | How it can fit into the recovery plan | How to reach it |
| Ontario Health atHome | Publicly funded care based on assessment. Private home care can complement these visits by covering additional hours and everyday support between scheduled visits | 1-833-515-1234; Toronto Central office at 250 Dundas Street West, Suite 305 |
| TTC Wheel-Trans, temporary eligibility | TTC’s specialized transit for a defined period, for example following an injury or surgery, useful for getting to follow-up appointments | Apply by email at wteligibility@ttc.ca or through the TTC self-serve portal |
| Accessible parking permit, temporary | Easier parking at appointments during a temporary disability, free and valid for up to 12 months | See ontario.ca; a listed health practitioner certifies the application |
| Home at Last | Short-term support for adults 55 and over leaving hospital without support from family or friends, which private care can follow on from | The hospital applies on the person’s behalf |
| Toronto Seniors Helpline | Connection to community services, including a crisis team that can visit a senior at home | 416-217-2077 |
| 211 | Community and social services, including rides through community agencies, 24/7 in 150+ languages | Call 211 |
| City of Toronto Homemakers and Nurses Services | Income-tested help with light housekeeping, laundry, shopping and meal preparation, after a financial assessment | 416-392-8579 |
| Ontario Caregiver Helpline | Support for the family caregivers sharing the work | 1-833-416-2273 |
Sources for this table: Ontario Health atHome, Toronto Central area; TTC, Wheel-Trans eligibility categories; TTC, Wheel-Trans how to apply; Government of Ontario, Get an accessible parking permit; City of Toronto, Seniors Health and Home Care Services; City of Toronto, Seniors and Caregivers Services: Transportation; City of Toronto, Homemakers and Nurses Services; City of Toronto, Senior Caregiver Supports.
Help With the Cost
This is general information, not tax advice, and the rules change, so confirm them or ask your tax preparer.
- The Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit provides up to 25% of claimable medical expenses up to $6,000, for a maximum credit of $1,500, for people who turned 70 or older in the year, or whose spouse did. The credit is income-tested and subject to eligibility rules, and some attendant care expenses can qualify.
- Federally, CRA’s medical expenses guide allows part-time attendant care of up to $10,000 a year ($20,000 in the year a person dies) to be claimed alongside the disability amount, where an approved Disability Tax Credit certificate is in place. Ask what receipts you will receive, and keep them.
Talk to Our Toronto Team
If your family member is still in hospital, call us now, while there is time to plan. You do not need anything prepared before you call. If you have the discharge instructions available, we can use the relevant timing and support information to help plan the first visits.
- To plan support for the move home, start with our hospital-to-home transition support in Toronto.
- For ongoing everyday help once recovery settles, see home care services for seniors.
- For more guides, visit our Information Centre, or contact our Toronto team and call (416) 663-2930.
We are Comfort Keepers Toronto, at 245 Fairview Mall Dr #401, North York, ON M2J 4T1, and we provide non-medical home care across Toronto and North York.
About the Author and Reviewer
This guide was written by the Comfort Keepers Canada Editorial Team. It was reviewed for local service accuracy by Susan Uno, Franchise Administrator of Comfort Keepers Toronto. This is a local service-accuracy review, not a clinical or medical review. You can learn more about our team on the Comfort Keepers Toronto team page. This article explains the non-medical support families in Toronto can arrange after a hospital discharge and the public services that sit alongside it. It does not replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and it is not advice about any particular person’s care. Always follow the discharge instructions from the care team.
Published September 2026 · Last reviewed September 2026
Sources
Ontario Health. Quality Standards: Transitions Between Hospital and Home (February 2026).
Government of Ontario. Home and community care (updated May 2026).
Ontario Health atHome. Home Care (accessed September 2026).
Ontario Health atHome. Toronto Central area (accessed September 2026).
Public Health Agency of Canada. Surveillance report on falls among older adults in Canada (2022).
Public Health Agency of Canada. Falls Among Older Adults in Canada, infographic (2025).
Public Health Agency of Canada. Preventing falls and injuries for older adults (updated April 2026).
Government of Ontario. Assistive Devices Program (updated March 2026).
Health Canada. Healthy eating for seniors, Canada’s food guide (updated April 2026).
College of Nurses of Ontario. Scope of Practice, Practice Standard (July 2025).
Government of Ontario. Emergency rooms (updated January 2026).
Statistics Canada. Caregivers in Canada, 2018, The Daily (2020).
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Caregiver Distress, indicator (updated March 2026).
Toronto Transit Commission. Wheel-Trans eligibility categories (accessed September 2026).
Toronto Transit Commission. Wheel-Trans, how to apply (accessed September 2026).
Government of Ontario. Get an accessible parking permit (updated May 2026).
City of Toronto. Seniors Health and Home Care Services (updated March 2026).
City of Toronto. Seniors and Caregivers Services: Transportation (updated July 2026).
City of Toronto. Homemakers and Nurses Services (updated January 2026).
City of Toronto. Senior Caregiver Supports (updated May 2026).
Government of Ontario. Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit (updated June 2025).
Canada Revenue Agency. Guide RC4065, Medical Expenses (2025).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we arrange help before the discharge date is confirmed?
Yes. Talking to us while the date is still moving gives us the best chance of planning the first visit around the day your family member comes home. Tell us the likely date range, and we will firm up the first visit once the hospital confirms the day.
The hospital has arranged Ontario Health atHome visits. Do we still need private help?
The two do different jobs and work well together. Publicly funded visits are based on an assessment and cover the care that assessment identifies, and private hours can cover the times in between, such as a longer morning, an evening, or time that lets a family caregiver get back to work. Once you know the visit schedule, we can help you see which hours are still uncovered.
My parent insists they will manage on their own. How do we raise it?
Tie the help to the recovery rather than to age or ability. “Someone for the first few weeks, while your hip heals, and then we will review it” is easier to agree to than an open-ended change. Be specific about the tasks, such as the shower and the trip to the follow-up appointment, and be there for the first visit so the caregiver is a familiar face from the start.
Will the same caregiver come each time?
We prioritize continuity where scheduling allows, especially in the first weeks when routines are being rebuilt. During setup, we will explain how caregivers are matched and how coverage works if a regular caregiver is unavailable.
