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Post-Operative Home Care in Montreal

A gentler recovery.

At Equinoxe LifeCare, we understand the importance of a smooth transition from hospital to home after surgery or during an acute illness. Our Post-Operative and Acute Care services provide expert support during the crucial recovery period.

Let’s plan the move home
An Equinoxe LifeCare caregiver walks beside a woman using a walker at home during her recovery after surgery

Recovery Care

Equinoxe LifeCare supports your recovery at home.

Every recovery is different. Here’s how we help:

Personalized Care Plans

Every recovery is unique, so we start by understanding yours.

  • A comprehensive assessment of your specific needs

  • A personalized plan ensuring the right care and support

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Recovery needs are rarely predictable in advance. Your Care Manager builds the plan around your actual situation: the procedure or illness, your home, your family’s availability, rather than a generic template, and adjusts it as things change.

Medication Management

Staying on schedule matters most right after surgery or during acute illness.

  • Reminders so prescriptions are taken exactly as directed

  • Medication assistance according to the care plan and staff qualifications

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Caregivers give reminders and report medication-related concerns and observed changes to the appropriate care team. When medication must be administered, our nurses do it within their scope of practice. Chronic conditions remain followed by your family doctor or specialist, and our nurses follow their orders: see our chronic disease management.

Wound Care & Pain Management

Nursing care for surgical incisions and acute injuries.

  • Sterile dressing changes and healing checks by our nurses, when indicated

  • Pain support: prescribed medication and non-drug measures, such as positioning or relaxation

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Dressing changes and incision assessments are nursing care: our nurses do them when indicated, within their scope of practice. Day to day, caregivers help keep you comfortable and watch for changes such as redness, swelling, drainage or increased pain, to help identify and report concerns promptly. Pain support may include prescribed medication and non-drug measures, such as positioning or relaxation techniques, as appropriate to your recovery plan.

Rehabilitation & Daily Living Support

Regaining strength, mobility and independence, one day at a time.

  • Support with the exercises and mobility recommendations from your physiotherapist

  • Help with bathing, dressing, grooming and toileting

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Caregivers support the exercises and mobility recommendations prescribed by your physiotherapist or rehabilitation team, within their training and the care plan. Nurses assess nursing needs and coordinate with your medical team. Day-to-day help with bathing, dressing, grooming and toileting means you can focus on regaining strength without losing independence in the meantime.

Nutrition & Home Safety

Fueling recovery, and reducing risk in the space around you.

  • Meal planning, grocery shopping, preparation and help with eating, including tube-feeding support when appropriate, by qualified staff

  • Referral to a nutritionist for a new dietary plan, if needed

  • Help identifying fall risks and recommending appropriate safety measures

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Meals are planned around your dietary restrictions and preferences, and caregivers help with eating when needed. Tube feeding is set up, adjusted or stopped only by our nurses, following the physician’s order and the care plan; caregivers make sure the tube stays safely in place. At home, caregivers help identify potential fall risks and share recommendations for appropriate safety measures. A formal home safety assessment, when needed, is done by a qualified professional such as an occupational therapist.

Coordination & Communication

Regular updates help keep you and your family informed.

  • Accompaniment to medical appointments and follow-up visits. For safety, our caregivers don’t drive, so transportation is arranged separately (e.g. a taxi)

  • Regular updates on health, recovery and any changes

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Caregivers report changes in your daily condition and care needs, and nurses share relevant clinical observations with the care team. With the consent of the client or their decision-maker, the team keeps the family informed of progress, setbacks and anything that comes up.

★★★★★

Equinoxe has provided extraordinary services for my family, taking care of my mother after surgery when she was unable to walk on her own. […] The caretakers themselves have been kind, patient and supportive of my mom’s needs.
R. Wechsler-Reya · Google review

From Hospital to Home

How the move home works.

Recovery often starts before the discharge papers are signed. Here is what the transition looks like with us.

  1. Step 1

    Before discharge

    Care can start while your loved one is still in the hospital. Your Care Manager builds the plan around the doctor’s requirements, the hospital discharge plan and the CLSC.

  2. Step 2

    The first days at home

    In most cases, care starts within a couple of days of your first call: wound care, medication, mobility, meals and a home checked for fall risks.

  3. Step 3

    During recovery

    The plan changes as you recover. Hours and support are adjusted as needed, with no long-term contract.

  4. Step 4

    Back on your feet

    As strength and independence return, support scales down at your own pace.

Read more: helping a loved one adjust at home after the hospital.

★★★★★

I traveled alone from Vancouver to Montreal for […] surgery and required caregiver support at my hotel in the immediate 24-48 hours post surgery. […] I also appreciated the ability to add more hours for an additional 12 hour shift with one of the caregivers to extend support last minute on a Saturday.
Jason B. · Google review

Hospital discharge

Discharge coming sooner than expected?

Call us, day or night. We plan the move home with you, and care can start while your loved one is still in the hospital.

514-935-2600

Convalescence

Recovering at home, or in a convalescent home?

After surgery, many families look at a convalescent home. Recovering at home is often a real alternative. Here is how the two compare.

Convalescence at home

Home care after surgery

You recover in your own space, with care planned around your procedure and your routine.

  • Personal attention during every visit

  • Family and familiar surroundings close by

  • Wound care, medication and rehab coordinated at home

  • A plan that changes as you recover, with no contract

Convalescent home

Convalescence centre

A convalescent home offers staff on site and a structured setting. It can suit people who need close supervision day and night.

  • Staff on site, day and night

  • Staff time is shared among many residents

  • Recovery happens away from home

  • Less say over your routine and schedule

Worried about a fall while recovering at home? LifeCare Plus can detect suspected falls, day and night, and is included at no extra cost for our home care clients.

What research says

Coming home: what the data shows.

After surgery or a hospital stay, the first weeks matter. Here is what the data shows, and what we do.

36%

of hip replacements for osteoarthritis are now done as day surgery, with no overnight hospital stay: 3.5 times more than in 2020–2021.1

What we do

Help from the day your loved one comes home: getting up, washing, dressing, eating.

After hospital

Not all readmissions can be avoided, but support during and after a hospital stay can help reduce them.2

What we do

Day-to-day support after discharge, and any change in your loved one’s condition reported to our team.

Over 1 in 3

seniors hospitalized for a fall are discharged to long-term care.3

What we do

A well-prepared return home, with the help needed to recover at home.

1. CIHI, CJRR annual report: Hip and knee replacements in Canada, 2024–2025. 2. CIHI, All Patients Readmitted to Hospital. 3. Public Health Agency of Canada, Seniors’ Falls in Canada: Second Report. Last updated: September 2026.

Healthcare Advocacy

You have a voice. We make sure it’s heard.

An Equinoxe LifeCare Manager holding hands with a client and family member

Advocacy is at the heart of what we do.

Every Equinoxe LifeCare service is individually tailored, so you get the highest quality care at a manageable cost, whether it’s for a patient, a child, or senior home care in Montreal.

We’re committed to standing up for our clients, helping them express their needs and receive the treatment they deserve. Your Care Manager provides clear guidance on treatment options and support services, so you and your family always know where things stand: a collaborative approach where your needs and preferences shape care that truly fits your circumstances.

Where we provide care

Post-operative home care in Westmount, Montreal, the West Island, the South Shore and Laval.

Questions Families Ask

Post-operative care, answered.

If your question isn’t here, a Care Manager will answer it on the phone.

See all FAQs →
How soon can care start after I get home from the hospital?

In most cases, we can arrange care on short notice, often within a couple of days of being contacted, once a Care Manager has completed your assessment and matched a caregiver to your needs.

Who handles wound care and dressing changes?

Our nurses. Wound care and sterile dressing changes are nursing acts: they are done by a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse, who also checks healing and the risk of infection. Caregivers (PABs) don’t provide medical care: they help with daily life and report any change to the nurse.

Is support available overnight or on weekends during recovery?

Our Care Managers are available by phone, email or chat during regular office hours, with on-call assistance available 24/7 (evenings, weekends and statutory holidays) for anything that comes up outside those hours.

Can the care plan change as I recover?

Yes. Recovery needs can shift quickly, so your care plan is never locked in. You’re not tied to a long-term contract, and hours or support can be adjusted as your needs change.

Can care start while I’m still in the hospital?

Yes. We can provide services during a hospital stay, and your Care Manager can plan the return home around the hospital discharge plan before you leave.

Do you work with the CLSC and my medical team?

Yes. The care plan is built around your doctor’s requirements, the hospital discharge plan and any CLSC involvement, and any change is reported to the care team.

Is this only for recovery after surgery?

No. Post-operative and acute care also covers recovery at home after a hospital stay for an acute illness.

Ready to plan a smoother recovery? Our Care Managers are here to listen, and to help you build a plan you can trust.

Let’s talk about your recovery

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