Home care after a hospital stay: the first weeks at home in Colorado Springs, CO

What non-medical home care does, and does not

Colorado CareAssist is a non-medical home care agency. Our caregivers help with the things that keep a household running while someone recovers: meals, laundry, light housekeeping, errands and grocery runs, rides to follow-up appointments, medication reminders, bathing and dressing help, and plain company during the long afternoons. We do not provide medical care. Wound care, injections, and anything clinical belongs to a home health agency or the doctor's office, and an honest agency tells you which is which instead of quietly crossing the line.

We are family-owned and serve Colorado Springs, where our rate is $40 per hour with a three-hour minimum per visit. Live-in care runs a flat $650 per day for longer stretches, and there are no long-term contracts, which fits recovery periods that rarely announce their length in advance. Families start with a free 20-minute phone conversation, then a free in-home assessment, at the home or by video, no obligation, and we match the caregiver on skills and personality.

Questions worth asking before discharge

Discharge day is the wrong time to discover what was left unsaid. Before leaving, ask for the follow-up appointment to be scheduled rather than described, a written list of every medication change, and the specific number to call if something looks wrong at home. Ask what the person should be able to do by next week, walking, dressing, eating, because a concrete answer gives the family a yardstick, and ask what would count as a reason to call rather than wait.

Then ask about equipment: a walker, a shower chair, raised toilet seat, and whether it is already arranged or the family needs to find it. And ask about home health, if it is part of the plan, so everyone at home knows who is coming and what they will do. The recovery goes smoother when the non-medical help and any clinical help know they share the calendar. Finally, ask for a copy of everything before you leave the building, paper or portal, because the folder from the hospital is the document the whole household will be reading for the next month.

Hospitals in Colorado Springs

CommonSpirit Penrose Hospital sits at 2222 North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs and is licensed for 300 beds, with 24-hour emergency care. The hospital's page describes a Level II trauma designation from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Level I trauma verification from the American College of Surgeons.

St. Francis Hospital–Interquest occupies 58 acres at Interquest Parkway and I-25 in northeast Colorado Springs, described on the CommonSpirit site as a newer campus with 48 beds, 10 ICU-capable beds, a 14-bed emergency department, and 10 operating rooms. Families live on every side of both campuses, which is worth knowing when arranging rides: a discharge on the northeast side of town is a different logistics problem than one near midtown.

Rides to follow-up appointments

Mountain Metro Mobility is Mountain Metropolitan Transit's ADA paratransit: shared-ride, door-to-door service available within three-quarters of a mile of an existing bus route, on the same days and hours as local bus service. Eligibility determinations can take up to 21 days from a complete application, which means the time to start that paperwork is before the surgery, not after. Visitors who already hold paratransit eligibility elsewhere can receive up to 21 days of visitor service in a 365-day period. Ride scheduling and cancellation run through 719-392-2396, and eligibility questions go to 719-385-7433. Note that a Metro Card is valid on fixed-route buses only, not on Metro Mobility.

For scheduled non-emergency trips, Silver Key's Reserve & Ride takes anyone 60 or older in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs to medical appointments, grocery stores, worship services, and VA facilities; the vehicles accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, and oxygen tanks. Silver Key asks for bookings at least a week ahead, up to two weeks for best availability, with a $5 contribution suggested and no one denied for inability to pay. Home care hours can cover the ride itself, so the family member at work does not have to take the afternoon off.

Food, without a second trip to the store

Groceries are the errand that most often falls through in week one. Safeway's Austin Bluffs store at 7055 Austin Bluffs Parkway lists grocery delivery, same-day delivery, DriveUp & Go pickup, and a pharmacy drive-thru, and its Research and Union location at 8750 North Union Boulevard lists a pharmacy drive-thru and DriveUp & Go as well; check current services at each store before relying on them. The Circle Drive store at 1121 North Circle Drive is another in-town option, with hours that should be checked before a trip.

For households where cooking is the wrong answer for the next month, Silver Key's Meals on Wheels delivers to anyone 60 and older in its service area, with no income requirement, up to seven or more prepared meals in a single weekly delivery. A caregiver can line up the week's deliveries before the discharge, which removes one daily decision from a house that has enough of them.

Winter and altitude, honestly

Colorado Springs averages 32.5 inches of snow a year, and March is its snowiest month at about 5.7 inches, which catches families who assume the snow season is over by January. The average January temperature is 31.7°F, and the city sits at 6,035 feet of elevation. Anyone flying in to help for two weeks after a February surgery should pack for the snow that is statistically most likely during their visit, and arrange the driveway and walkway before the patient comes home, not after the first storm.

Altitude deserves its own mention for visitors and new arrivals: the air is thinner than most of the country, hydration matters more than usual, and shortness of breath that would be nothing at sea level is worth a call to the doctor here. Talk with the doctor about what is normal at this elevation during recovery, and plan indoor days when winter makes the outdoor ones impractical.

Getting the first weeks on the calendar

The families who handle discharge best are the ones who book the first week of help before the surgery date. Two or three hours a day for the first stretch covers the meals, the medications, the laundry, and the ride to the follow-up visit, and it scales down as the person gets steadier. Call Colorado CareAssist at (303) 757-1777; a real person answers, the 20-minute phone conversation is free, and the in-home assessment is free as well, at your home or by video, with no obligation. Home care after a hospital stay in Colorado Springs is easier to arrange in advance, on a calm Tuesday, than in a hallway on discharge day.

Local resources in Colorado Springs

• CommonSpirit Penrose Hospital is at 2222 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80907, phone 719-776-5000, with 24-hour emergency care, licensed for 300 beds. Source
• Penrose Hospital's page states it holds Level II trauma designation from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Level I trauma verification from the American College of Surgeons. Source
• St. Francis Hospital–Interquest sits on 58 acres at Interquest Parkway and I-25 in northeast Colorado Springs, with 48 beds, 10 ICU-capable beds, a 14-bed emergency department and 10 operating rooms. Source
• Mountain Metro Mobility is MMT's ADA paratransit: shared-ride, door-to-door service within 3/4 mile of an existing route, available the same days and hours as local bus service. Source
• Metro Mobility eligibility determinations can take up to 21 days from a complete application; visitors with paratransit eligibility elsewhere can get up to 21 days of visitor service in a 365-day period. Source
• Metro Mobility ride scheduling and cancellation is 719-392-2396; eligibility questions go to 719-385-7433. The Metro Card works only on fixed-route buses, not on Metro Mobility. Source
• Safeway's Austin Bluffs store at 7055 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, 80923, lists a Pharmacy Drive Thru, Grocery Delivery, Same Day Delivery and DriveUp & Go pickup (check current services). Source
• Safeway's Circle Dr store is at 1121 N Circle Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 (check current hours), and its Research and Union store at 8750 N Union Blvd lists a Pharmacy Drive Thru and DriveUp & Go. Source
• Silver Key's Meals on Wheels delivers to anyone 60+ in its service area with no income requirement, up to 7+ meals in one weekly delivery, and asks for at least 48 hours' notice to reschedule. Source
• Silver Key's Reserve & Ride takes riders 60+ to medical appointments, groceries, worship services and VA facilities; book at least a week ahead, $5 contribution suggested, no one denied for inability to pay. Source
• Colorado Springs averages 32.5 inches of snow a year (1991–2020 normals), with March the snowiest month at 5.7 inches; average January temperature is 31.7°F. Source
• Colorado Springs sits at an elevation of 6,035 feet. Source

More resources for Colorado Springs families

• Dementia Care at Home in Colorado Springs, CO
• Respite Care for Family Caregivers in Colorado Springs, CO
• How to Choose a Home Care Agency in Colorado Springs, CO
• Paying for Home Care in Colorado Springs, CO