Coming home from the hospital
Coming home from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital
Lancaster General is where most of Lancaster County goes for serious care, and where most of our Lancaster County families first call us from. Tell us the discharge date; we take it from there.
A caregiver ready for the first day home when we hear the discharge date early.
Help getting settled, meals, medication reminders per the discharge paperwork.
Accompaniment to follow-up appointments at Lancaster General Health practices.
Coordination with the home health nurses and therapists Penn Medicine arranges.
Coverage in Lancaster city and the boroughs from Lititz to Quarryville.
Before discharge from Lancaster General
- Ask the case manager what the first two weeks will require and what skilled services (home health nursing, PT, OT) have been ordered.
- Call us with the date. We ask about mobility, the home, and family coverage, and tell you what we can staff.
- Prepare the house: first-floor sleeping if stairs are hard, clear paths, a chair with arms, prescriptions filled before the ride home.
- Choose the coverage: daytime, overnight, or 24-hour for the first week.
The first days home in Lancaster County
The caregiver meets your parent at the house, helps them in and settled, prepares a meal, sets out medications per the discharge instructions, and stays through the evening or overnight. Then: bathing help, breakfast, a first walk, reminders for the therapy exercises, a ride to the follow-up, and a daily note to you. Skilled visits come from the home health agency Penn Medicine arranges; we cover the hours between them.
Where Lancaster General patients go home to
Lancaster city and Manheim Township; Lititz, Ephrata, Manheim, Denver and Akron to the north; Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Columbia and Marietta to the west; Millersville, Willow Street, Strasburg and Quarryville to the south; New Holland and the eastern townships. See our Lancaster County page for the full list and the Lancaster County Office of Aging contact.
Other situations we help with
Coming home from the hospital
The hospital wants the bed. The discharge planner says someone needs to be home. You have a job, kids, and maybe a two-hour drive. This is the situation we are built for.
After surgery
A hip, a knee, a heart, a back. The surgeon says recovery at home is fine as long as someone is there. You want to say yes to that. Here is how to make it true.
Overnight care
Days are manageable. Nights are not. Bathroom trips at 2 a.m., wandering, confusion, or a spouse who has not had an unbroken night's sleep in a year. An overnight caregiver changes the whole household.
After a fall
A fall changes everything in a day. Whether it ended in the ER or just a scare on the kitchen floor, the question is the same: how do we keep this from happening again without taking away their independence?
Frequently asked questions
Are you part of Penn Medicine or Lancaster General Health?
How quickly can you start after a Lancaster General discharge?
My parent lives in a retirement community. Can you still help?
This article is general information for Pennsylvania families and is not medical, legal, financial, or insurance advice. It's Your Home Care is a non-medical home care agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health; we do not provide skilled nursing or medical services. Program rules and eligibility change; confirm details with the agency or program named, your physician, or a qualified advisor before making decisions.
Talk to a care coordinator who knows Lancaster County
Tell us what is happening at home. We will explain your options, including what private pay, long-term care insurance, VA benefits, and Pennsylvania waiver programs may cover, and schedule an in-home care consultation when you are ready.