- California law defines home care services by aides as nonmedical: bathing, dressing, moving, toileting, meals, housekeeping, errands and companionship.
- A registered nurse observes signs and symptoms, judges whether they are abnormal and reports them, and gives medications ordered by a physician or other authorized prescriber.
- An LVN works under the direction of a physician or a registered nurse.
- Medicare home health covers part-time or intermittent skilled nursing for people who qualify, not 24-hour care.
- Many recoveries use both: a nurse for the clinical work, a caregiver for daily help.
In this article
- What does in-home care after surgery include?
- What can a caregiver do after surgery?
- What does a nurse do that a caregiver cannot?
- Who does which task after surgery?
- Why does the difference matter in the first days?
- How do families combine a nurse and a caregiver?
- Is Medicare home health the same thing?
- How do you check who you are hiring?
- How should the home be set up?
- How does WholeHealth Concierge help families with recovery after surgery?
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
What does in-home care after surgery include?
MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's consumer health service, describes three kinds of help people may need after they leave the hospital:
- Personal care, such as bathing, eating, dressing and toileting.
- Household care, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry and shopping.
- Health care, such as driving to appointments, managing medicines and using medical equipment.
"Post surgery in-home care" can mean any of the three. The useful question is not which company to call first, but which of those three your recovery needs, and for how long. The first two are work a caregiver does every day. Much of the third, especially after an operation, is nursing work. The rest of this article draws that line, task by task, using California's own definitions.
What can a caregiver do after surgery?
A great deal, and for many recoveries it is most of what is needed. California's Health and Safety Code section 1796.12 defines home care services as nonmedical services and assistance from a registered home care aide, including help with:
- Bathing, dressing, personal hygiene and grooming.
- Transferring, walking and positioning.
- Toileting and incontinence care.
- Feeding, meal planning and preparation.
- Housekeeping, laundry and shopping.
- Transportation, phone calls, correspondence and companionship.
- Assisting with medication the client takes on their own.
That last item has a limit written into the same section: it does not authorize an aide to help with medication that would otherwise require administration or oversight by a licensed health care professional. After surgery, that limit matters, because new prescriptions, injections and medicines on a strict schedule are common.
What does a nurse do that a caregiver cannot?
The California Board of Registered Nursing's explanation of RN scope of practice describes registered nursing as including:
- Observation and judgment. Observing signs and symptoms of illness and a person's general physical condition, deciding whether they are abnormal, and then reporting, referring or starting emergency procedures.
- Ordered medications. Giving medications and therapeutic agents ordered by a physician or other authorized prescriber.
- Safety and comfort. Direct and indirect care that protects a patient's safety, comfort, hygiene and protection, including supervising care others give.
The first item is the heart of the difference. A caregiver can notice that a dressing looks different. A nurse is trained and licensed to judge whether that difference is abnormal and to report it to the surgeon. A licensed vocational nurse practices under the direction of a physician or a registered nurse, so an LVN plan sits under an RN or physician. Our guide to who can legally do what in California sets out the full ladder, including CNAs and home health aides, and our page on who can legally do wound care at home covers dressings in detail. This article does not repeat them; it applies them to the weeks after surgery.
Who does which task after surgery?
The table applies those definitions to common recovery tasks. Your surgeon's written orders decide which tasks your recovery involves, and family members caring for their own relative are not covered by these hiring rules.
| Task after surgery | Registered home care aide | Licensed nurse (RN, or LVN under direction) |
|---|---|---|
| Help getting up, walking and to the bathroom | Yes. Transferring, walking, positioning and toileting are listed home care services | Yes, and can judge whether a change in strength or balance needs reporting |
| Bathing, dressing and grooming within the surgeon's limits | Yes. Listed home care services | Yes |
| Meals, laundry, errands, rides to appointments | Yes. Listed home care services | Can help, though nursing hours are usually planned around the clinical tasks below |
| Reminders for medicine you take yourself | Yes, for medication the client self-administers | Yes |
| Giving medicines your surgeon ordered, including injections | No, where it requires administration or oversight by a licensed professional | Yes. Part of RN practice; LVNs under direction |
| Judging whether the incision, drainage, pain or breathing is abnormal | Can notice and tell someone. Judging and reporting is a nursing function | Yes. Observation, judgment and reporting are RN functions |
| Dressings and drains | See our wound care guide | Per the surgeon's written orders |
Why does the difference matter in the first days?
Because the first days are when the things that need judging are most likely to show up. The American Society of Anesthesiologists' outpatient surgery guide tells patients to have someone with them for the first 24 hours at home, and says soreness, nausea and vomiting can follow surgery. MedlinePlus's page on closed surgical wound care lists reasons to contact your surgeon, including more redness or pain, swelling or bleeding, and drainage that increases or becomes thick, tan, green or yellow, or smells bad, as well as a temperature above 100°F (37.7°C) for more than 4 hours.
A caregiver who has read that list can pass on what they see. A nurse can also judge it against the surgeon's orders, help with the medicines on schedule, and call the surgeon's office with a clear report. In an emergency, anyone in the house should call 911. MedlinePlus's list of medical emergency warning signs, from the American College of Emergency Physicians, includes bleeding that will not stop, breathing problems and fainting. Chest pain or pressure, especially with sudden shortness of breath, is a 911 call too: do not wait to see if it passes (MedlinePlus, pulmonary embolus). These are examples, not every emergency. In any emergency, call 911.
Call the surgeon, or call 911
- More redness or pain, swelling or bleeding
- Drainage that increases or becomes thick, tan, green or yellow, or smells bad
- A temperature above 100°F (37.7°C) for more than 4 hours
- Bleeding that will not stop
- Breathing problems
- Chest pain or pressure, especially with sudden shortness of breath. Do not wait to see if it passes
- Fainting
Sources: MedlinePlus, closed surgical wound care; MedlinePlus, medical emergency warning signs, from the American College of Emergency Physicians. These are examples, not every emergency. In any emergency, call 911.
Our guide to what a recovery nurse does on the first night after surgery walks through those first hours in detail.
How do families combine a nurse and a caregiver?
Most recoveries are not all nurse or all caregiver. Common patterns look like this:
- A nurse for the first nights, a caregiver for the days. The nurse covers the hours when medicines, drains and monitoring are densest. A caregiver covers meals, bathing and moving around once the clinical picture settles.
- Nurse visits, caregiver hours. A nurse comes for dressing changes, medicine checks and a look at the incision. A caregiver stays for longer blocks.
- Nurse first, then family. A nurse covers the first night or two and teaches the family what to watch for and when to call.
Whichever pattern you choose, one person should own the plan: who reports changes to the surgeon, who has the medicine list, and how the caregiver tells the nurse what they saw. Our guide to how many hours of nursing you need after surgery covers how to size the nursing part.
Is Medicare home health the same thing?
No. Medicare.gov's page on home health services says Medicare covers medically necessary part-time or intermittent skilled nursing at home, such as wound care for a surgical wound and patient and caregiver education, plus therapy and part-time home health aide care when skilled care is also needed. To qualify you must be homebound and need part-time or intermittent skilled services, a doctor or other provider must see you in person and order the care, and a Medicare-certified home health agency must provide it. Medicare does not pay for 24-hour-a-day care at home, or for personal care when that is the only care you need.
So home health visits and private in-home care often sit side by side: home health visits for what Medicare covers, private hours for the nights and the help in between. Our guide to concierge nursing versus home health explains how the two fit together.
Medicare home health and private in-home care
Sources: Medicare.gov, home health services. Private in-home care as described on this page.
How do you check who you are hiring?
- Nurses. RN and LVN licenses can be checked free on the Department of Consumer Affairs license search.
- Home care aides. The Department of Social Services says California law requires Home Care Organizations to be licensed and keeps an online registry of background-checked home care aides, searchable on the Home Care Aide Registry.
- In writing. Ask who employs the person, whether they are insured, what the start and end times are, and who covers if they are sick.
How should the home be set up?
Whoever is helping, the home has to work for a person who is sore and unsteady. MedlinePlus's guide to getting your home ready after the hospital recommends removing loose throw rugs and loose cords from walkways, fixing uneven flooring in doorways, using good lighting in doorways and night lights in dark hallways and rooms, and using a shower seat with non-skid rubber tips. Its discharge plan page adds equipment your nurse or discharge planner may recommend, such as a walker or cane, a shower chair, or a portable toilet. Our coming home after surgery checklist covers the rest.
How does WholeHealth Concierge help families with recovery after surgery?
WholeHealth Concierge is RN-led and private-pay, and coordinates in-home recovery care across Orange County, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. Before surgery day, we coordinate with your surgeon's office for the written post-operative orders. A nurse can monitor the incision and any drains, help with the medicines your surgeon ordered, help with safe movement, teach the family what to watch for, and report changes to the surgeon's office. Rates depend on the procedure, your surgeon's orders and the hours you need, so we go through them with you on the free 15-minute call, before anything is booked. Read more on our post-operative recovery page.
Frequently asked questions
What is post surgery in-home care?
It is help at home while you recover from an operation. MedlinePlus groups the help people may need after leaving the hospital into personal care, household care and health care such as managing medicines and using medical equipment. A caregiver can cover much of the first two; the health care part, such as watching the incision and giving ordered medicines, is nursing work.
Can a caregiver give medications after surgery?
California's Health and Safety Code section 1796.12 lets a registered home care aide assist with medication the client self-administers, but not with medication that would otherwise require administration or oversight by a licensed health care professional. Giving medications ordered by a physician or other authorized prescriber is part of registered nursing practice, as the California Board of Registered Nursing describes it.
Do I need a nurse or a caregiver after surgery?
Read your surgeon's written discharge instructions. If they include drains, wound care, injections, new medicines on a strict schedule, or signs to watch for and report, that is nursing work. If the main needs are help moving, bathing, meals and company, a caregiver may be enough. Many families book a nurse for the first nights and a caregiver for the days that follow.
Does Medicare pay for in-home care after surgery?
Medicare.gov says Medicare covers part-time or intermittent skilled nursing at home for people who are homebound and meet its other conditions, ordered by a doctor and provided by a Medicare-certified home health agency. It does not pay for 24-hour-a-day care at home, or for personal care when that is the only care you need.
What is the difference between home health and private in-home care?
Home health is the Medicare-style benefit: intermittent skilled visits by a certified agency for people who qualify. Private in-home care is booked and paid for directly, for the hours you choose, and can be a nurse, a caregiver or both.
How do I check a nurse's or caregiver's credentials in California?
Look up an RN or LVN license free on the Department of Consumer Affairs license search. Look up a registered home care aide on the Department of Social Services' Home Care Aide Registry.
Which task are you not allowed to do as a caregiver?
A hired caregiver should leave the clinical work to a licensed nurse. The California Board of Registered Nursing's explanation of RN practice describes judging whether signs and symptoms are abnormal, reporting them, and giving medications ordered by a physician or other authorized prescriber as parts of nursing practice. After surgery, that can mean injections, new prescriptions on a strict schedule, and judging how an incision looks. Our guide to who can legally do what in California sets out the full ladder.
What should you do if you have no one to take care of you after surgery?
Arrange help before surgery day. The American Society of Anesthesiologists' outpatient surgery guide says to have someone with you the first 24 hours after you return home. If family cannot stay, you can book a private nurse or caregiver for those hours. If you are homebound and need skilled care, Medicare.gov says Medicare covers part-time or intermittent skilled nursing at home. Our page on having no one to help after surgery covers the options.
Is a nurse considered a caregiver?
A nurse gives care, but in California a nurse and a home care aide are different roles. The California Department of Social Services describes home care aides as people who "provide assistance with activities of daily living." A registered nurse is licensed, and the Board of Registered Nursing's explanation of RN practice includes observing signs and symptoms and reporting changes.
Sources
Definitions and medical statements on this page come from the public sources below, each opened and checked on the date shown. This is general information, not legal advice. WholeHealth Concierge provides nursing care and coordination; diagnosis and prescribing stay with your surgeon, physicians and other licensed prescribers.
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine), "Leaving the hospital: your discharge plan," reviewed July 15, 2024. medlineplus.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- California Health and Safety Code section 1796.12 (home care services definitions). leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- California Board of Registered Nursing, "An Explanation of the Scope of RN Practice Including Standardized Procedures" (NPR-B-03, rev. 01/2011). rn.ca.gov (PDF). Accessed October 10, 2026.
- California Business and Professions Code section 2859 (vocational nursing). leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- American Society of Anesthesiologists, "Outpatient Surgery and Anesthesia" patient guide, 2021. asahq.org (PDF). Accessed October 10, 2026.
- MedlinePlus, "Surgical wound care: closed," reviewed April 11, 2026. medlineplus.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- MedlinePlus, "Recognizing medical emergencies," reviewed January 8, 2025 (warning signs from the American College of Emergency Physicians). medlineplus.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- Medicare.gov, "Home health services." medicare.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- California Department of Social Services, "Home Care Services." cdss.ca.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- California Department of Social Services, Home Care Aide Registry search. ccld.dss.ca.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- California Department of Consumer Affairs, License Search. search.dca.ca.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- MedlinePlus, "Getting your home ready: after the hospital," reviewed July 3, 2025. medlineplus.gov. Accessed October 10, 2026.
- MedlinePlus, "Pulmonary embolus." medlineplus.gov. Accessed October 12, 2026.