Health

Seven Things to Do When Visiting a Sick Person

Visiting friends or family who are friends is a good thing. You will ensure that the sick individual to feel better or even recuperate faster. However, regardless of your best intention, things may not go well during your visit. To avoid any inconvenience, you should do the following. Let the person know you are coming:…

9836

101 Comments

Let the person know you are coming: It’s plain common sense. Giving a nice surprise can be a great thing, but sometimes, you visit at the wrong time. The person could be resting and they need to sleep more. Having too many visitors at once could also be a bad thing, so you may need to schedule a visit. The caregiver could also tidy up the room, so it will be comfortable for everyone. It is a good thing for the sick individual to be in charge, instead of being forced to be in a certain situation.
Do research: If the sick individual is in rehab facility or hospital, you need to know about their visiting hour. Some hospitals or facilities don’t allow children to visit, so unwanted transmission of disease can be avoided. Ask whether the person can receive food and people can have a special diet. Ask whether flowers can be given to the patient. Some hospitals have stricter rules on hygiene and they don’t allow flowers.
Don’t stay too long: Sick people need to rest more often and they may have busy schedule. It’s important to visit briefly and you can always come later. When leaving, you should do it courteously. Regardless of the duration of the visit, you may need to make it a quality activity. Just try to put a smile on the person’s face and make everyone happy. This is far better than a dragged out visit that can make the individual tired. A 20-minute visit is long enough to convey your good intention. Even if the person asks you to stay longer, it’s better to leave and assure that it’s better for the person to rest.
Bring an exciting gift: Many people actually find flowers as troublesome. They need to be watered and later thrown to the garbage can. Find out what the sick person really like to have. If the person is still intellectually active, you can buy a good book. This will solve boredom and the person can feel excited. Some hospitals don’t allow patients to use smartphones, so having a good book will be quite convenient.
Help with tasks: If the sick individual is bed-ridden at home, it’s a good thing to help with chores and concrete tasks. As an example, you can help to tidy up the room and water plants. When people are sick, they don’t have the ability and energy to do zimple things. People will appreciate if you are being helpful.
Don’t talk too much: It’s OK to just sit in silence. Your presence is often enough bring comfort to the sick individual, especially if you already have good friendship. If the person appears to be tired, you shouldn’t force conversation. You need to let things come naturally.
Help the caregiver: The caregiver needs a lot of support to do their tasks. They are often busy to do many things. They need to juggle between their own lives and caring for the sick individual. You can offer caregivers to babysit their kids. You can help to make dinner or offer to order in food.