After an event
Bringing Mum or Dad home from hospital: the equipment checklist nobody hands you
“Mum's being discharged on Friday and the ward says she'll need ‘a few things at home’ — what do I actually buy, and by when?”
Start with the three things she does many times a day: getting on and off the toilet, in and out of bed, and up from a chair. Sort those before discharge day — the shower and front step can wait a week. And push for a home visit from the discharge OT.
I'm Christian, I run Ability Warehouse and I hold a Bachelor of Medical Science. I've worked across pharmacies and the disability sector for years — and I set the business up after watching my own parents start to struggle with the ordinary things.
- Australia-wide delivery
- Members save 10%
- Written to help, not to upsell
Where do I even start when the hospital just says ‘she'll need a few things’?
Dad's coming home Thursday after a fall and a week on the ward. The nurse rattled off a list at the end of visiting hours, I wrote half of it on the back of a parking ticket, and now I'm standing in the shed at 10pm with no idea what's urgent.
First, breathe. You do not need to kit the house out like a hospital ward by Thursday. Most of what makes a safe homecoming comes down to a handful of everyday movements, and you can get the critical ones sorted in a day.
Here's the way I'd think about it. Walk through a normal day in your parent's body and count the moments they have to lower down or push up — the toilet, the bed, their favourite chair, the car, the shower. Those transfers are where people get stuck, and where falls happen. If you make those few moments safe, you've done about 80% of the real work.
Don't buy a catalogue. Make the toilet, the bed and the main chair safe first — those three transfers are where the risk is.
What has to be sorted before discharge day, and what can genuinely wait?
I split every homecoming into two piles: before they walk in the door, and in the first week or two. Trying to do everything at once is how families burn out and overspend.
Before discharge day vs. what can wait
Sort before they come home
- A safe way on and off the toilet (raised seat, over-toilet frame, or a rail beside it — whichever the OT suggests).
- A safe way in and out of bed — and a bed they can actually get out of (height matters more than anything motorised).
- A clear, lit path from the bedroom to the toilet, with trip hazards and loose rugs gone.
- A way to call for help if they're alone — a phone within reach, or a personal alarm.
- Enough of their medication and a plan for who picks up scripts.
Can usually wait a week or two
- The shower setup — a bed bath or a careful sponge wash for a few days is completely fine while you get the right shower stool and rails fitted.
- Front-step ramps and outdoor rails — unless they can't get in the door at all, this is a considered job, not a discharge-day panic buy.
- Recliners, adjustable beds and the bigger-ticket items — live with the basics first and you'll buy the right one, not the first one.
- Kitchen and dressing aids — genuinely useful, rarely urgent.
The room-by-room check: walk the house before they're home
Do this walk-through now, ideally with the discharge OT on the phone or in person. Tick what's already safe, flag what isn't. Your ticks become your shopping list — nothing more, nothing less.
Room-by-room safety check
Tick everything that's already true. Anything you can't tick is a job — the ones marked ‘before discharge’ come first.
Getting in the door
-
Why it matters
The trip from the car is the first transfer of the day home, often while everyone's tired and carrying bags. If the step is a problem, a temporary threshold ramp or a second person is the short-term answer; a permanent ramp is a measure-twice job for later.
-
Why it matters
Loose mats at doorways are one of the most common trip hazards we see.
The toilet (do this one first)
-
Raised toilet seat (10cm lift)
Why it matters
A standard toilet is low — around 40–42cm. After a hospital stay, pushing up from that low can be the hardest thing they do all day. A raised seat or an over-toilet frame lifts them 5–10cm and takes the strain off hips and knees.
-
Stainless steel grab rail
Why it matters
A fixed grab rail must go into a stud or with proper fixings — this is worth getting a handyperson or the OT's fitter to do. Please don't trust a suction rail as the main support.
-
Folding bedside commode
Why it matters
Most falls at home happen on the night-time toilet trip, half-asleep and in the dark. A bedside commode for the first week or two removes that trip entirely.
The bedroom
-
Why it matters
This single thing — feet flat, knees level — makes getting in and out dramatically easier and safer. You can often fix it for free by adjusting or swapping the bed before you spend anything.
-
Bed rails & supports
Why it matters
A bed rail can help the right person and trap the wrong one — see the warning below. Let the OT decide if a rail suits.
-
Why it matters
Reaching across to a far switch in the dark is a classic fall.
Chairs and getting around
-
Why it matters
A low, soft sofa is one of the hardest things to rise from. A firm dining chair with arms is often safer than the comfy recliner for the first while.
-
Swivel transfer cushion
Why it matters
A swivel transfer cushion lets a person turn on the seat instead of shuffling, and saves the helper's back. It's one of the cheapest things that makes the biggest difference for couples.
-
Why it matters
Hospitals often send a frame or stick home; check it did, and that it's set to the right height.
The bathroom (this one can wait a few days)
-
Shower chairs & stools
Why it matters
A proper shower stool and a fixed rail are worth getting right, not rushing. A few days of a careful sponge wash is safe and buys you time to choose well.
Calling for help
-
Why it matters
The thing that turns a fall into a hospital readmission is lying on the floor for hours. A way to call for help is non-negotiable for someone living alone.
The toilet: why I'd sort this before anything else
If you do one thing before your parent comes home, make the toilet safe. People use it six, eight, ten times a day, often in a hurry, often at night. A standard pan sits low — about 40 to 42cm — and after a week in bed, pushing up from that height is genuinely hard.
You've got three honest options, and which one suits depends on their bathroom and their strength:
- A raised toilet seat clips or bolts onto the pan and lifts them 5–10cm. Simple, cheap, effective. The one we stock with a 10cm lift is rated to 136kg and measures 40 x 37cm — check that against the pan.
- An over-toilet frame surrounds the toilet and gives armrests to push up on — better if they need to push with their arms, not just sit higher.
- A grab rail beside the pan — best alongside either of the above, fixed properly into the wall.
What I'd look at first for the toilet
Folding Bedside Commode with Bowl – Aluminium, 100kg
Rated to 100 kg
$245.66
Member price · $272.95 without
Straight Grab Rail – 32mm Stainless Steel, 300mm to 1200mm
$69.26
Member price · $76.95 without
A raised toilet seat or over-toilet frame plus one well-fixed grab rail solves the single riskiest moment of the day. Start here.
The bed: do they really need an adjustable one?
The salesperson at the other place told me Dad needs a full electric hospital bed. It's three and a half grand. Is that really necessary just because he's a bit wobbly?
Usually, no — not straight away, and often not at all. An adjustable bed earns its money when someone spends a lot of the day in bed, needs their head or knees raised for breathing or circulation, or a carer needs the mattress raised to a safe working height. If your parent is mostly up and about and just needs to get in and out safely, the humble fix is bed height.
Sit them on the edge of the bed. If their feet are flat on the floor and their knees are roughly level with their hips, that's the height you want. Too low and they can't push up; too high and they slide off. You can often get there by swapping the base or the mattress — no motor required.
If after a week or two it's clear they do need an adjustable bed — they're spending long stretches in it, or a carer is hurting their back — then it's worth doing properly. By then you'll know what they actually need, and you'll buy once.
Build your before-discharge shopping list
Tick the jobs you couldn't tick upstairs and we'll pull the matching items into a short list you can add to the cart. Only tick what the walk-through (and ideally the OT) actually flagged — a shorter, right list beats a long, hopeful one.
Your before-discharge list
Tick what you need. We'll assemble the products below — prices are live, and members save 10%.
Before discharge day
Your suggested list
Prices are live; members save 10%. Tick items above to build this list. Not sure? Ask us first — we’ll happily tell you to hold off.
When to lean on a professional — and which one
A quick word on paying for it
If your parent is on a funded plan, the simplest thing is to check with their plan manager or support coordinator about how equipment like this is handled before you buy — everyone's situation is different. We provide a tax invoice with our ABN on every order, which is usually what's needed for a claim or reimbursement. If you're unsure what to ask for on the invoice, call us and we'll sort it.
Questions & answers
How long before discharge should I start getting equipment?
As soon as you have a likely discharge date, even a rough one. The toilet, bed and a grab rail are the parts worth sorting before they come home; most delivery across Australia is quick, but a properly fitted rail may need a handyperson booked, so start that early.
Can I just borrow equipment instead of buying it?
Sometimes, yes. Some hospitals, councils and community health services loan basics like commodes and raised seats short-term, especially while you wait for an assessment. Ask the ward or the discharge OT. If it's only needed for a few weeks of recovery, a short-term loan can be the sensible, cheaper choice — I'd rather tell you that than sell you something you'll use twice.
The hospital gave us a list — do I need everything on it?
Not necessarily all at once. A ward list is often a worst-case 'everything that might help'. Walk the house with the room-by-room check above, ideally with the OT, and buy what your parent's actual home and body need. Start with the before-discharge items and add the rest only if they turn out to be needed.
Is a bedside commode only for night-time?
Mostly that's its best use — it removes the risky dark trip to the bathroom. But it also helps anyone who tires on the walk to the toilet, or whose bathroom is up or down a step. The one we stock folds away and adjusts from 48 to 63cm seat height, so it suits most people and tucks out of sight during the day.
What if I buy the wrong thing?
Measure first, and when in doubt ask us before you order — a quick photo and a measurement saves most mistakes. Getting the sizing right matters far more than getting it today, and no one ever regretted taking an extra day to fit the toilet seat properly.
Still not sure where to start?
Get the toilet, the bed and one good grab rail sorted before Thursday, line up the discharge OT, and leave the rest for next week. If you send us a couple of photos and the measurements, we'll tell you honestly what you need and what you don't. No one ever regretted getting the sizing right.
This article is general information to help families get organised before a hospital discharge. It is not clinical advice, a discharge assessment, or a substitute for the hospital team, the discharge OT or physiotherapist, your GP or pharmacist. Always follow the advice of the people treating your parent. Prices and specifications mentioned are approximate and as at October 2026; the live product cards show the current price.
