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A close friend of mine was in the hospital and the behaviour of some well meaning visitors reminded me of a shiur given by Rabbi Doctor Aaron Glatt.
A. The purpose of any visit is to make the patient feel better, not yourself
B. Please do not wake a sleeping patient ( yes , this happened) so that they’ll know you came. The patient may have just fallen asleep.
C. If the patient has requested no visitors, please do not assume you know better and that they’ll be happy to see you.( this happened too. They mentally added the words “except me” to the no visitors sign on the door)
D. If the patient is weak and tired, keep the visit brief. They may feel uncomfortable asking you to leave.
E. Please keep in mind that the patient usually has a roommate. Try to refrain from loud conversations that might disturb them.
Thanks
Thank you for posting this. Years ago I came across R’ Glatt’s book about Bikur Cholim. At first I thought, there is no way someone could fill up a whole book just on bikur cholim. But then I read it, and read things of the sort posted by lesschumras, and said, wow, that book is awesome. Hal’vai that everyone read it, if for no other reason than to be sensitized to what should be obvious. And I say that as someone for whom these things weren’t/aren’t always obvious. Shkoyach!
About 4 years ago, a DVD titled “Bikur Cholim – Sense & Sensitivity” hosted by Rabbi Paysach Krohn came out. It included an extremely funny skit called “How NOT to Perform Bikur Cholim” which I highly recommend people watch.
Sometimes a serious lesson taught with a touch of humor can leave a lasting impression.
The video skit can be found online.
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