A riser recliner for home care should be planned into the return home after a hospital stay on the basis of the instructions received, not just around the delivery date. You need to know which activities are planned, which aids are still needed and who will be able to help the person. Measurements, the home environment and an explanation of the functions complete this preparation. The checklist below organises what is needed before the return, on the day of arrival and during the first few uses, without turning the choice of product into a healthcare decision.
In brief
Preparing the return home after a hospital stay means coordinating care instructions, aids, the home environment and the people who will be present. Delivery of the chair is only one of these steps: before it is used, the ways of moving, the help needed and the alternatives must be clear. The checklist organises the preparations without imposing clinical deadlines; in the first few days it helps you describe difficulties and turn to the appropriate healthcare or technical contact.
Before the date: what will change in the person’s day
The return home can change places, routines and the people available. On the ward, some steps take place with professionals and equipment that will not be the same at home. Before choosing where to set up the chair, clarify what arrangements will actually be possible at home.
Start from concrete activities: where to rest during the day, how to get to the table, who will be present for a transfer and how help will be requested. A short list of real needs is a better guide than a generic description such as “something comfortable is needed”.
The French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de Santé, HAS) regards hospital discharge as a process to be prepared before, during and after leaving, with information that supports continuity of care. Agreeing activities, aids and contact people before the return home helps avoid leaving these decisions to the day of arrival. [2]
The questions to clarify with the professionals caring for the person
Ask which activities have already been assessed and which still require assistance. Where relevant, the permitted weight-bearing, the movements to avoid, how sitting should be managed and the aids to be used must be clearly understood. Do not infer these instructions from the name of an operation or a diagnosis alone.
Also ask them to specify who needs to be present and which signs call for contacting a healthcare professional. If a piece of information is written in difficult terms, ask for it to be translated into what the person will actually be able to do in their own home. A family member should not have to interpret a prescription on their own.
It is helpful to pass on to the Sollevita Team the instructions relevant to using the chair, without automatically sending the entire medical record. The team can check measurements and functions, but cannot decide which movement is clinically permitted or change the discharge plan.
Listening to what the person wants to get back to
Preparing care does not mean planning the day on the person’s behalf. Ask which activity they would like to get back to: being close to the family, reading, resting in the living room or joining in at lunch. The need may differ from the one imagined by whoever is organising the home.
The HAS provides materials for older people that encourage them to express preferences about the support they receive, their activities and their surroundings. This attention remains useful even when communication takes more time or needs support. There is no need to get a quick answer to every question. [3]
The page on older people and loss of independence gives the overall picture. In this article the focus is narrower: turning a desired goal into concrete preparations for the return home, while keeping in view what still needs to be clarified.
Existing aids and the chair must have distinct roles
The bed, wheelchair, walking frame, patient hoist and specialised cushions do not become superfluous because a fully featured chair arrives. List what is used, for which activity and who knows how to operate it. If an aid still has to be delivered, check its availability too.
With Sollevita, the rise function assists the person towards a standing position; vertical height adjustment changes the height of the whole chair. The 180° lie-flat position and the removable side panel can make it easier to position the chair alongside the bed. These technical capabilities must be compared with the procedure planned for the person, not mistaken for a transfer that has already been authorised. [1]
When a hoist is involved, information is needed about the configuration and the environment. Do not infer compatibility from the width of the room alone. The product, the other aids and the care plan must be assessed as a whole.
Preparing measurements and clearing routes before arrival
Gather the person’s height and weight and any useful dimensional information already available. Sollevita offers seat widths of 52 or 63 cm and three seat depths: do not choose the widest thinking it will automatically be the most comfortable. The proportions help define the support points and real use. [1]
For the home, consider both getting the product in and using it once assembled. Doors, corners, the lift and stairs concern the delivery; space next to the bed, room for the footrest to open and the area where care is given concern everyday life. A simple floor plan with photos of the key points can avoid misunderstandings.
Also prepare the power supply, charging and where the other aids will go. The manually moved wheeled base, with the person seated, is intended for suitable indoor routes; it does not turn thresholds and narrow passages into negligible details. Do not leave packaging blocking the routes the person returning home will need.
The checklist before, during and after the return home
The checklist spreads the preparations across the different stages of the return home. Timing depends on the real situation, the availability of aids and the services agreed. If the return is close, report straight away what is missing and clarify the alternatives with whoever is managing the discharge.
| Stage | Priority preparation | Outcome to note |
|---|---|---|
| As soon as a return home is being considered | Clarify the planned activities, help and aids | Instructions received / open questions |
| In the preceding days | Gather measurements and document the home environment | Measurements sent / constraints to check |
| Before logistics are confirmed | Define delivery, assembly and explanation | Contact person, date and arrangements confirmed |
| Before the person arrives | Prepare seating spots, routes and a fallback | Home ready / unresolved point |
| Day of the return | Use only activities and controls already clarified | Observed need and who was present |
| First uses | Note preferences, difficulties and questions | Healthcare or technical contact to involve |
| Agreed check-up | Review what has changed in the routine | New instructions and next step |
Assign each activity to a specific contact person. A column full of “family” does not make clear who will call about the delivery or who will receive the instructions. It is useful to plan a stand-in, without assuming that everyone can carry out the same tasks.
The day of the return should not become a demonstration
The person may arrive tired and have needs different from those imagined. Do not organise a full test of the movements just because the chair is new. Start from the seating spot and the activities compatible with the instructions received.
Whoever uses the handset must know which function they are operating and how to stop it in the way the system provides. Knowing how to return to the agreed position matters as much as opening the chair out. Do not hand a complex transfer over to an inexperienced family member just so the trial can start straight away.
If the chair is not ready yet, shows a fault or the person does not tolerate sitting in it, use the alternative already agreed with those caring for them. Discharge should not depend on a single object or on the assumption that every check will be resolved on the same day.
First observations: a few details, but useful ones
Note the activity carried out, the help needed and what the person reports. “The handset slides out of reach when they read” is a precise practical question; “it doesn’t suit them” gives no way of telling whether the issue is measurements, position, controls or the environment.
Do not use the first week to experiment with ever-longer sitting times. Timing depends on the person and the instructions received. A diary records what happens during the planned activities; it is neither an endurance test nor a way of establishing new abilities.
For changes in health, contact the relevant professionals with the urgency the situation requires. For how the controls behave, cables or the operation of the chair, contact the Sollevita Team. Keeping the two channels separate prevents an adjustment from being used to try to solve a health problem.
Using a video call to prepare the chair and the room
An overview of the room, details of the aids and a short description of the day can make the technical discussion more useful. Show only what is needed and with the person’s consent: there is no need to show medical documents or repeat a transfer for the camera.
The Sollevita Team can explain the functions and clarify how the chair is prepared. If a measurement is uncertain or a care decision is still missing, the point remains to be checked. Do not turn a video call into automatic confirmation that the whole system is compatible.
Keep a summary of the technical instructions separate from the healthcare ones, identifying the contact person for each. When an aid or a restriction changes, update the information: preparation that was correct before the hospital stay may not describe the situation afterwards.
Mistakes to avoid in the preparation
Do not choose the chair just because it seems to be available in time. Fast delivery does not replace measurements, conditions of use and the organisation of care. Likewise, do not immediately remove the previous seating setup if it is still part of the plan.
Avoid making one person responsible for remembering everything. Controls, contacts and documents must also be accessible to whoever takes over, within the limits of their role and the training they have received. However, do not rely on a written list for care skills that require a personal explanation.
Finally, do not wait for the next check-up to report a doubt that prevents appropriate use. The specific mobility and care needs pages can help guide your questions, but an information page does not replace contact with those following the real situation.
FAQ
Common questions
When should you choose a riser recliner for home care after a hospital stay?
Start the assessment as soon as useful information about the return home is available, without waiting for the day of discharge. There is no single lead time that applies to everyone: product availability, instructions and preparation of the home need to be coordinated.
Do I need to send the Sollevita Team the whole discharge letter?
Not automatically. Share only the information that is relevant to the technical check and authorised by the person. Healthcare instructions should be clarified with the professionals, not left to the interpretation of the sales team.
Can the chair replace aids that have already been prescribed?
Not simply because it has many functions. Each aid has its own job; compatibility and any changes to the plan must be assessed with those caring for the person. Do not stop using recommended surfaces or devices on your own initiative.
Who should be present when the person returns home?
Whoever will help the person with their first activities and whoever knows the instructions given at discharge. Clarify in advance who will manage the aids, who will receive the explanations about the chair and who to contact if in doubt, without leaving everything to a family member who is only there occasionally.
What should I note down in the first few days?
Activities, the help actually needed, preferences expressed and questions about the controls or the environment. Do not use the diary to extend sitting time beyond the instructions. Changes in health should be reported to the appropriate professional.
What should I do if Sollevita is not ready on the day of the return home?
Use the alternative arrangement agreed beforehand with whoever is managing the discharge. A delay, incomplete assembly or the person not tolerating the chair must not lead to an improvised transfer or to the use of a chair that has not been checked.
Sources and references
[1] Sollevita — Features and construction of the chair.
Bring concrete preparation to the consultation
Gather goals, relevant instructions, measurements and the aids already in use. Compare them with Sollevita’s integrated care features and with the Sollevita Team, keeping clinical decisions separate: the choice of product can then fit into the return home without replacing its plan.
