Joint Replacement Caregiver Task Map: Who Covers What in Week One

"Someone will be with me" isn't a plan. The first week after a hip or knee replacement is a set of specific jobs at specific times, and most of the trouble happens in the gaps between people: the pharmacy run nobody owned, the night the main helper had to work, the follow-up appointment with no driver. Map the jobs first, then put names against them.

What clinical guidance says about help at home

The orthopaedic patient-education sources are consistent here. After both knee and hip replacement, AAOS OrthoInfo (2026) says patients walk with a cane, crutches or walker soon after surgery and typically need help for several weeks with cooking, shopping, bathing and laundry. The hip replacement guidance says the same for those four tasks.

OrthoInfo's preparation guide (2026) goes further for people who live alone. It suggests a friend or family member stay with you for several days after surgery and that someone check on you every day, because recovery takes several weeks. If help at home isn't possible, a specialised rehabilitation facility may be needed, arranged with the hospital's social work team. A hospital social worker or discharge planner can also help you plan if you live alone.

So the realistic picture is an intensive first few days, then several weeks of lighter but daily support. The task map should cover both.

Assign roles before names

Start with the roles, then decide who fills each one. One person can hold several roles, but every role needs a named backup.

• Lead caregiver: present overnight in the first days, keeps the medicine log, sits in on discharge teaching.
• Driver: handles discharge pickup, therapy visits and the follow-up appointment.
• Errand runner: covers the pharmacy, groceries, laundry and anything left at the hospital.
• Coordinator: often someone remote who handles calls, appointment changes, insurance and travel rebooking.
• Backup: one person who can step in at short notice for any of the above, especially overnight.

The first-week task map

Here's a working template. Copy it, add names, and leave any cell empty where you don't have a real answer yet. An empty cell is your to-do list.

The car pillow comes from OrthoInfo's hip guidance, which lists firm pillows for chairs, sofas and the car among useful items. The wound appointment matters because stitches or staples come out about two weeks after hip replacement (AAOS OrthoInfo, 2026) and several weeks after knee replacement. Someone has to drive you there.

Jobs that fall through the cracks

The medicine log

When caregivers change shifts, nobody is quite sure whether the last dose was given. A sheet on the fridge with each medicine, time and initials prevents doubled or missed doses. Use the exact instructions from the discharge papers, not memory.

Knowing who to call

Ask the surgical team before discharge which symptoms mean "call us" and which mean emergency care, and get a number that's answered after hours. Post both where every caregiver can see them. The caregiver's job is to know the route, not to judge symptoms.

Pets and the house

Dogs and cats underfoot are a real hazard for someone using a walker. Decide who walks, feeds and contains pets for the first week, and who handles bins, mail and plants.

The caregiver's own sleep

One person covering every night for a week will be exhausted by the end of it. If you can, split nights between two people from night three onwards, even if one of them only covers a single night.

A one-page briefing sheet for every helper

When three or four people share the first week, each needs the same information without having to ask you. Put one sheet on the fridge and send a photo of it to everyone involved:

• the surgical team's phone numbers, including the after-hours line
• which symptoms mean "call the team" and which mean emergency care, in the team's own words
• the medicine schedule and where the log is kept
• any movement precautions or restrictions you were given
• which walking aid to use where, and where spare items are kept
• the shift rota for the week, and who's next on duty

Update it after each appointment. A helper arriving for their first shift should be able to read it in two minutes and know what to do.

Helpers who aren't in the house

People who live too far away to help in person can still take real work off the lead caregiver. They can order groceries and medicine deliveries, book and confirm transport, handle phone calls with insurers or the clinic, rebook travel if discharge moves, and phone you every day as the daily check-in. Give each remote helper one clear job rather than a general offer to "help where needed".

When the caregiver is travelling with you

If surgery is abroad, your companion is also your interpreter, courier and travel desk. The CDC Yellow Book (2026) recommends agreeing a plan for complications with both your home clinician and the treating team abroad, and travelling with enough of your regular medicines for the whole trip. In practice the companion should:

• hold their own copy of the clinic's contact details and your medication list
• have a changeable return ticket, so a later discharge doesn't strand you
• know who takes over at home on arrival, and when
• attend the discharge conversation, with an interpreter if needed

The companion's flights, lodging and time off are part of the cost of the episode. The rehab cost planner has a line for them.

Build the map in thirty minutes

Sit down with the people involved, one or two weeks before surgery, and go through the table row by row. Tick a line in the checklist below only when it has both a named person and a named backup. The meter shows how much of the first week is actually covered.

Then check the map against the physical layout of the house. If the bedroom is upstairs or the shower has a high step, caregivers will spend more time helping with transfers. The home setup score helps you spot that early.

If the map still has gaps

When you look at the empty cells, sort them by time of day. Gaps at night or on discharge day are the urgent ones, because they're the hardest to fill at short notice. Gaps in errands or meals can often be covered by deliveries or by a helper working remotely.

A gap you find two weeks before surgery is a problem you can solve. One you find on discharge day is a crisis. Your options:

• Talk to the hospital's social worker or discharge planner before surgery, not after.
• Ask whether a short stay in a rehabilitation facility is an option for you, and whether you can visit one in advance.
• Arrange paid help for the specific jobs nobody else can cover, such as overnight backup or driving.
• If the core roles can't be filled, consider moving the surgery date rather than hoping it works out.

Related joint-replacement guides

Orthopedic lead network