Dying in hospital can be lonely, boring, miserable. Hours just lying there staring at a blank wall or stark ceiling.
Home has familiar items. Photos of the family. Your preferred colours.
Anybody stuck in hospital more than 24 hours should be able to adapt the room to their taste.
PICTURE FRAMES
The hospital could have a wipe clean photo frame. It has a choice of two pictures (reversible). Plus a slot in front where you can place your own family photo. (Labelled on the back with your name and address in case you leave it behind.)
Or you could buy pictures from the trolley to put in the slot. When you leave hospital you can take the picture with you or donate it to the hospital so that subsequent visitors have a choice of pictures.
FOOD DONATIONS
Patients often want to donate chocolates to nurses. How about donations to sponsor food for patients?
Christmas dinners. Extra fruit juices, not just orange. Fresh fruit in season. Between meal snacks for those who need to put on weight.
COLOUR
For example, why not have a choice of colour schemes. Say blue, green or orange. A couple of pictures. Or blankets with edging in the colour of your choice.
Or a view of a wall where you can choose the picture projected by a central lantern or laser system.
If you can choose from a dozen pictures on a computer, why not adapt this to a hospital wall.
And instead of a tiny TV which can be seen by the nearest person in a multi-bed ward, obviously a large screen.
Design a hospital like a hotel.
HYGIENE
Motels have self-cleaning shower rooms. Hospitals in the UK often have filthy shared toilets and public bathrooms. Install self-cleaning and self-drying ones.
And those Japanese toilets which wash you after using the toilet. They must make you feel more comfortable as well as being more hygienic.
HAIRDRESSING
In hospital I had a visiting hairdresser. Can't afford it? Maybe student hairdressers under supervision, or school-leavers on work experience, could volunteer to wash the hair of people in hospital, starting with those who have injuries rather than infections.
SUGGESTIONS PLEASE
Home has familiar items. Photos of the family. Your preferred colours.
Anybody stuck in hospital more than 24 hours should be able to adapt the room to their taste.
PICTURE FRAMES
The hospital could have a wipe clean photo frame. It has a choice of two pictures (reversible). Plus a slot in front where you can place your own family photo. (Labelled on the back with your name and address in case you leave it behind.)
Or you could buy pictures from the trolley to put in the slot. When you leave hospital you can take the picture with you or donate it to the hospital so that subsequent visitors have a choice of pictures.
FOOD DONATIONS
Patients often want to donate chocolates to nurses. How about donations to sponsor food for patients?
Christmas dinners. Extra fruit juices, not just orange. Fresh fruit in season. Between meal snacks for those who need to put on weight.
COLOUR
For example, why not have a choice of colour schemes. Say blue, green or orange. A couple of pictures. Or blankets with edging in the colour of your choice.
Or a view of a wall where you can choose the picture projected by a central lantern or laser system.
If you can choose from a dozen pictures on a computer, why not adapt this to a hospital wall.
And instead of a tiny TV which can be seen by the nearest person in a multi-bed ward, obviously a large screen.
Design a hospital like a hotel.
HYGIENE
Motels have self-cleaning shower rooms. Hospitals in the UK often have filthy shared toilets and public bathrooms. Install self-cleaning and self-drying ones.
And those Japanese toilets which wash you after using the toilet. They must make you feel more comfortable as well as being more hygienic.
HAIRDRESSING
In hospital I had a visiting hairdresser. Can't afford it? Maybe student hairdressers under supervision, or school-leavers on work experience, could volunteer to wash the hair of people in hospital, starting with those who have injuries rather than infections.
SUGGESTIONS PLEASE
