Rehabilitation After Hospital

What Hospital Does to a Body

Hospital treats the illness. It also, unavoidably, does something else: it removes almost all physical activity for days or weeks.

Muscle strength declines measurably within days of bed rest, and the decline is faster in older adults. Someone admitted for a chest infection or a fractured wrist may be treated successfully and still come home unable to manage stairs, get off a low chair, or shower safely, not because of the original problem, but because of the immobility that came with treating it.

This is why the fortnight after discharge is the highest-risk period. It is when falls happen, when people are readmitted, and when families make permanent decisions about care in response to a temporary decline. It is also the period when rehabilitation produces the most change, because the deconditioning is recent and reversible.

The clinical mistake is waiting to see how someone goes. By the time it is clear they are not coping, several weeks of further decline have usually happened.

Who This Is For

• Anyone discharged after a medical admission of more than a few days
• After joint replacement, fracture, or other orthopaedic surgery
• After cardiac or abdominal surgery, within the surgical team's protocol
• After pneumonia, COPD exacerbation, sepsis or an ICU stay
• Anyone who has come home weaker, slower or less confident than before
• People discharged with a new walking aid, or using one they did not need before
• Where hospital rehabilitation has finished but recovery clearly has not
• Where a family is considering residential care in response to a recent decline

What to Expect

We aim to see you at home soon after discharge. The first appointment takes around an hour.

Your physiotherapist will read the discharge summary and any surgical precautions, ask what you could do before the admission, which is the target, not an arbitrary standard, and assess strength, balance, walking, transfers and stairs.

They will walk through your home looking at the specific obstacles: the step at the back door, the low couch, the shower over the bath. Those are what determine whether someone copes at home, and they are invisible from a hospital ward.

You will get a program with a clear dose, equipment recommendations where needed, and an honest view of the likely timeframe. Where we think the current setup is unsafe, we say so immediately and involve occupational therapy or nursing the same week.

Reports go to your GP and, where relevant, your surgeon or specialist.

Funding We Accept

• Support at Home, physiotherapy sits in the clinical care category and is fully government funded regardless of income or assets. Restorative and short-term pathways may also apply after a hospital stay.
• Medicare, a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan may allow up to five rebated allied health services per calendar year.
• NDIS, where recovery relates to a funded disability.
• Private health insurance, some funds offer rehabilitation-at-home programs after admission. Check with your fund, as arrangements vary.
• TAC and workers compensation, where related to an accepted claim.
• Home Care Packages and CHSP, for eligible clients.
• DVA, for eligible veterans with a valid referral.
• Private, no referral required.