[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Still, the cryptic answers I sort of got from one or two of the guarded staff could perhaps be summed up that a lot of people just liked going to doctors, whether out of loneliness or in need of conversation and attention.

Yep. I would say a good third of the people who go to the doctor fall in that category. Higher for the elderly.

[MarkeyD]

I remember reading that this is a huge problem in Japan. The elderly have nothing to do, so they just go to the doctor. Get's them out of the house. And all visits payed for by the government.

[annyokie]

Yep. I would say a good third of the people who go to the doctor fall in that category. Higher for the elderly.

Yup. Count my mother in that group.

[FITZ]

For those who aren't expected to pay even a dime and who have little else to do --- which includes millions of foreigners and their children and the elderly --- it does seem they go mostly because they enjoy going. Costs them nothing.

[squidly]

I would say a good third of the people who go to the doctor fall in that category. Higher for the elderly.

And as long as they've got Medicare to pay for it, why not?

[jimbo123]

I spent 8 hours yesterday getting treatment in a Brooklyn area ER. Approximately 33% of the patients were heart attack and other trauma victims. Another 33% were patients who had other important needs, but weren't priority based on the trauma cases. The remaining 33% were lonely elderly people, hypocondriacs or scammers who wanted free prescription drugs. One of the worst experiences in my life. The staff were good. But the trauma patients took priority of course, and the 33% lonely/hypocondriacs/scammers got in the way of the 33% of us who needed treatment, but weren't trauma cases.

[templar]

Yep. I would say a good third of the people who go to the doctor fall in that category.

My observation is that this is what keeps Chiropractors in business: Lonely, neglected, or neurotic people willing to pay to get attention. Perhaps we could include Chiropractic care in the pills for geezers program.

BTW, my comment is about the patients, not the relative value of Chiropractic practice.