We have helped families in western Wayne County come home from Trinity Health Livonia Hospital (formerly St. Mary Mercy Livonia Hospital) since long before Trinity Health acquired it. These are the patterns that show up again and again — and the simple non-medical care plan that prevents them.
Mistake #1
Bringing a loved one home with no caregiver lined up — 'we'll figure it out by the weekend'
Do this instead
Call us when discharge is mentioned, not when discharge is scheduled. We can hold a caregiver slot tentatively and release it if discharge slips. The reverse — finding a caregiver in 4 hours on a Friday afternoon — is when families end up with whoever is available, not the right match.
Mistake #2
Filling new prescriptions at one pharmacy and old prescriptions at a different one
Do this instead
Consolidate to one Livonia pharmacy. The discharging RN should mark which old medications STOP. The #1 cause of post-discharge medication errors in Southeast Michigan is parallel prescriptions across two pharmacies.
Mistake #3
Assuming Medicare covers the help with bathing, dressing, and meals
Do this instead
Medicare covers short-term skilled home health (a nurse, PT, or OT for 1–3 visits/week, a few weeks). It does not cover non-medical hourly help — that is private-pay or long-term care insurance. The full breakdown is in our home health vs. home care guide; both services usually run side-by-side.
Mistake #4
Booking a 30-day care plan on day one
Do this instead
Day one is the worst day to predict day fifteen. We start most Trinity Livonia discharges with 7 days of daytime hours, then reassess together. Sometimes families increase. Often they decrease. Almost never do they regret starting small.
Mistake #5
Letting the patient walk to the bathroom alone the first night home
Do this instead
The first 72 hours home are when falls happen — see our recovering-from-a-fall situation page for the full prevention pattern. Either the family or a caregiver should be in the home overnight for the first 2–3 nights, even if the daytime plan is unsupervised. We offer overnight-only coverage specifically for this window.
Mistake #6
Not telling the caregiver what the patient was admitted for
Do this instead
A non-medical caregiver does not need the full medical record — but they do need to know "she was admitted for a fall and is now using a walker she did not have before." That one sentence changes how the caregiver structures the day.
Trinity Health Livonia Hospital
Architectural watercolor illustration · 36475 Five Mile Rd, Livonia, MI 48154
Formerly St. Mary Mercy Livonia Hospital. Affordable Home Care is independent and not affiliated with Trinity Health.
Even if the discharge date is "sometime next week," call. We can tentatively hold a caregiver and release it if discharge slips.
Ask the discharging RN to mark old medications STOP and fill all new prescriptions at one Livonia pharmacy.
Falls happen in the first 3 nights home. Family or caregiver coverage overnight is the single highest-value protection.
Resist the urge to sign a 30-day plan on day one. Adjust hours up or down at day 7 based on what you actually saw.
FAQ
Related plans · guides · sister hospitals
The parent guide
The companion guides (clarify mistake #3 & #5)
Sister hospitals · same playbook
Local · Wayne County
Call us today. We will plan the next 72 hours with you, by phone, at no cost.
