1.	Be proactive	do not assume the health system will act before leaving hospital get a phone number to call if things are not going smoothly at home learn what services to expect and who to contact if the services are not forthcoming understand what changes to expect during your recovery
2.	Communicate with formal caregivers	keep them appraised of your progress and needs ask questions when your caregiver arrives for service ask what you or your family can do to support the recovery process
3.	Knowledge	learn as much as possible about the medical problem you have, its treatment, and your expected level of functioning after complete recovery
4.	Wait time	find out what the ideal schedule of treatment should be before services arrive (i.e., when should services be expected) write the timeline down so you can refer to it during recovery
5.	Needs based services	before leaving the hospital find out what home services would be essential to promote recovery and what indirect services (e.g., home cleaning) might be available