There are a number of mistakes that we may do when we visit someone in the hospital:
- We don’t help with concrete tasks: One thing that hospitalized people need is real helps from their healthy friends and family members. There could be others who already straighten up the room and bed; or water the plants in the room. We could help lower the stress level of the hospitalized individual by helping them with daily chore. As an example, we can pick up their children from school or help cleaning their house. We may not be able to do this every day, but just one day helping them out with this task can mean so much. This will ease the patient’s mind and their recovery can become faster. Sick people don’t have the energy and ability to do the usual chore, so we should help out.
- We talk too much: In some cases, our mere presence is enough to calm the sick individual; especially if there’s no one else in the room. We could try to bring comfort and a good level of friendship. We could speak only when it’s necessary; especially if the patient is particularly sick and can’t engage in prolonged conversation.
- We don’t help the helper: We should know that the helper could have been in the room for many hours and he/she could be tired. In this case, we should ask the primary caregiver about things that we can help. Caregivers also face the challenge of juggling between caring for the sick person and dealing with their outside life. Their lives could be filled with concern and worry for the person they love so much. They could show the strong face, but in reality, they could suffer as much as the hospitalized person. Other than offering to do daily chore for the hospitalized person, we should also do the same with the caregiver.
- We don’t ask what to prepare for the homecoming: Eventually, the hospitalized person recovers and he will go back home. Just before the person goes back to home, we should ask things that need to be prepared. As could offer to help clean the house, mow the lawn and do the laundry. This will make the home a fully habitable place for the recently recovered individual. We could open the windows and doors, to let some fresh, cool air in. This will make the person feels more comfortable and with the reduced stress level, they can continue with the rest and recovery period.
Sick people need a lot of attention and we should give it to them. In fact, many patients say that the hardest part is when they finally get better and go home. They will need to recover and reorganize themselves. In this period, it is important to give them helps and we need to lift their spirits. When they already go home, we should occasionally visit them and send cards. Recovering people want to know that they are being loved and they need the strength to feel better.