I see your points. Much more knowledgeable than me. Sigh.
I live in a different time, in my head and heart, I think.
I was thinking also of non-comatose patients. Sitting with them, reading, etc.
Maybe nuns and other religious orders could do it, they’re usually well-vetted.
When the generation before mine delivered their children, wives stayed in the hospital for seven days.
In my generation that had dropped to three days.
Today it is one.
You would be shocked at how fast people go home these days. There’s a whole industry out there servicing people at home that used to be in hospitals far longer away from what these people are at home.
This helped cut costs related to patient days in hospitals. The government drive this more than anyone else. They started compensating less and less for patient stays, 7, 5, 3, 2 days over time.
Nursing, supply, therapy costs, all plummeted. It’s just what the government and the insurance companies wanted. And then they came up with the brain-storm of the century...
The home health care industry is killing us. Yep, you can’t make this stuff up. The industry that grew up to help facilitate short patient stays, had gotten too big and the government was angry about it.
The point being, anyone in a hospital today doesn’t want someone fussing over them. It’s bad enough all the relatives and friends that bombard them with well-meaning visits.
I have a problem with clotting. I’ve been under therapy for just short of twenty years. Two times in my live I had major problems. On one of them, I was placed in a room with a room-mate. I was under intense pain. At one point it was so bad that it seemed like my nerves went off the bed, down onto the floor, and out into the hall.
When people walked by in the hall, it hurt. My well-meaning family members would visit. They’d walk right up to the bed and put their hand on the foot of the bed. My wife would have to ask them not to.
Before I was moved to a private room, my room-mate’s wife and family wouldn’t leave him alone. This guy was deathly ill. His family members would come in and stand around for long periods of time. He was ill enough where he needed to sleep, and they were just clueless. They were wearing this guy out.
His wife was told to leave and come back. She would sneak into the room, and into bed with him. And I’m telling you, this guy was in no condition to do anything other than allow it. He was out.
By the time folks are well enough for the kind of attention you are mentioning these days, they’re home. I’m not trying to give you a hard time. It’s just pretty much the truth.
I’ve thought of becoming a nun. I’m not sure how Mr. trisham would feel about it, though.