How I wish this had been the case when my mother was dying in the ICU at Vicksburg Hospital that Christmas night back in 1990. We got a strict 10 minutes on the hour. Only two people could go in at a time and they were supposed to be family. Mama was an only child, but no one at the hospital knew that. So, her dearest friends became her "sisters" in order for them to be allowed to visit Mama.
That Christmas night, everyone knew that Mama was not going to make it. It would have been so much more humane to let us be with her for every precious second that she had left. About the last hour or so, they relented and finally let us come in and stay. It had to be enough.
I firmly believe that the presence of loved ones, (as long as the patient is happy with that arrangement), is as crucial to recovery as medicine. Kudos to Merit Health River Region for getting on board with letting patients and families be together as much as possible, either for the purpose of getting the patient well, or allowing them time to say their goodbyes.
I am thankful that in the future, we have that time. At least at Merit Health River Region.
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