Getting Ready for a Home Wound Care Visit

Your home does not need to pass an inspection

Getting ready for a home wound care visit is mostly about access, light and having a few things within reach. It is not about housekeeping. Clinicians who make home visits work in every kind of home, and you do not need to clean or rearrange furniture before asking for care.

Gateway arranges wound care at home with partner clinicians across Greater St. Louis and the Metro East. If no visit is scheduled yet, you can request care and we will call you back.

Tell us how to get to your door

Give these details by phone when the visit is scheduled. Do not put door codes or medical details in the web form.

Your full address, including apartment or unit number and which entrance to use
Where to park, and whether a permit, gate code or visitor pass is needed
Buzzer names, front desk sign-in, elevators and the number of steps
How long it takes you to reach the door, or who will answer it for you
A phone number that will be answered on the day of the visit
Anything a first-time visitor would not expect, such as a dog in the yard, a hidden driveway or a map app that sends people to the wrong street

In winter, mention icy steps or an unshoveled walk if no one is able to clear them.

Choose where the visit will happen

A good spot has:

Light. A window in daytime, or a lamp that can be moved close.
A way to reach the wound. For a foot or lower leg, a firm chair with a second chair or footstool works well. For a hip, back or tailbone wound, a bed is usually easier.
A clear surface. A small table or tray within arm’s reach for supplies.
Room to work. Enough space for the clinician to sit or kneel beside you.
Privacy and warmth. A door or curtain that closes, and a room warm enough to have the area uncovered.

If moving is hard for you, tell us how you usually get from bed to chair and who helps. Do not try a new position or transfer on your own to prepare. Our guide to privacy and comfort during wound care has more ideas.

Plan for people and pets

Decide who you want in the room. If someone helps with your dressing changes, try to have that person present so they hear the instructions firsthand. Our guide to including a family member in your wound care explains how to set that up.

Put pets in another room before the visit, even friendly ones. See pets and wound care at home for the reasons. Turn off the television, and ask household members not to smoke during the visit.

Keep these within reach

Put these in one place the night before:

Your medication list, or the bottles in a bag. See keeping an up-to-date medication list.
The dressing supplies you have now. Storing wound supplies at home shows a simple way to keep them together.
Discharge papers and any written wound instructions
Insurance cards and a photo ID
Names and numbers of your other clinicians and your home health agency
Your blood sugar log, if you keep one
The shoes, boot or compression garments you normally wear
Your written questions and something to write on

On the day of the visit

Wear loose clothing that is easy to move away from the wound. Keep your phone beside you with the ringer on, since the clinician may call on the way.

Follow the dressing instructions you already have. When the visit is scheduled, ask whether the dressing should be left in place for the clinician. For a description of the visit itself, read what happens during a home wound care visit.

If something changes

Call 314-325-0126 as soon as you know that:

You have been admitted to the hospital or moved to a facility
You cannot be home at the scheduled time
Your phone number, door code or parking arrangement has changed
Someone in the home is sick with something contagious

If you have a health concern before the visit, contact your current clinician. Gateway is not an emergency service. For an emergency, call 911.

Common questions

Do I need to clean my house before the wound care clinician comes?

No. The clinician needs a clear path to you, good light and a small clean surface for supplies. A cleared tray table or the end of a kitchen table is enough. If clutter or a tight space worries you, mention it when we schedule so the clinician knows what to expect.

Where is the best place in the house to look at a wound on my foot?

A firm chair with arms, with your leg raised on a second chair or footstool, in front of a window or beside a movable lamp. A recliner can work if the clinician can get to your foot from the side. Avoid low, soft sofas, which are hard to get out of and put the foot too low to see well.

Can the visit happen on the same day my home health nurse comes?

Yes, and overlapping visits can be useful because the nurse and the treating clinician can talk in person. Tell both offices about the other visit so the dressing is not changed just before the clinician arrives. Our page on wound care alongside home health explains how the two fit together.

What if I live in a building with a locked entrance?

Tell us the building’s entry process when the visit is scheduled: buzzer name, front desk or call box. Let the front desk know a clinician is expected. If you cannot get to the door or buzzer yourself, arrange for a family member, neighbor or building staff to let the clinician in, and give us that person’s name and number.

General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.

Updated October 2026

Getting ready for a home wound care visit.