My Dad was sent home five days after he was admitted to the hospital. What a confusing day that was! The doctor had informed me that my Dad might be home that day if he did well on his hospital walk. Boy, was I surprised when my Dad called at noon (he hates the phone) and told me he was coming home.
I phoned the hospital only to find out that the head nurse didn’t know anything about it. According to her he could be released in 15 minutes or 5 hours. Great! He would need a ride and that meant someone had to be ready to pick him up.
I waited most of the afternoon, then finally got a phone call at 4pm. He was ready to come home now. Sheesh! Nothing like a warning. Luckily, a family member had just gotten off work and was able to get him.
It turned out that he had to wait for his official hospital walk. It was surprising because that was the first time he had been out of bed in five days!
What a pain in the butt for the family! They have to keep the whole day open because the hospital staff might do something now or wait all day. You really have to have patience to get through this stuff. Something I lack on a daily basis.