The hospital room freaked me out. Five Italian women stared at me as the nurses transferred me from the Trauma bed to the Ortho floor bed. Once the nurses left, they all started asking questions. And the only thing I could reply with is Anglais. I tried a little French, but I didn't know enough to really have a conversation. That's when Anna spoke up.
She was in the bed next to me and she reminded me of my grandma. Her skin was almost transluscent. Her hair was blonde and she explained she could speak a little English, but she actuially read it far better than speaking.
I understood because I'm the same way with French.
A few days into my stay I learned Anna had been in the hospital for over two weeks and in those two weeks she hadn't been out of bed. She called it psychological torture and the rest of the women in the room agreed.
I'd read four books by then and Anna told me she loved to read. In the house she lived in before moving in with her son and daughter, she'd had a library. Her favorite words were Once Upon a Time. Her only book now was a prayer book. I offered hermy books, but they were in English.
After that I had a goal. To get Anna a book. I thought maybe Harry Potter. I started planning how to go about that since I was in the hospital in bed, too. But I'd get out before her, I figured, so I'd get her something before I left the country.
Only the morning before Ileft, Anna's friend convinced her family to move her to a different hospital. Somewhere that would help her with rehabilitation instead of leaving her in bed day after day after day.
They way she looked at my books still haunts me. She so desperstely wanted a story to read. And her family thought a prayer book was sufficient.
I can't imagine being Anna. And I won't forget her.
Someone compared the hospital I was in to a bad nursing home in thestate. That got me to thnking. I wonder how many people are sitting in nursing homes in my community desperate for fiction? Once I get out of bed, (THREE WEEKS!) I'm going to find out. And I'm going to do what I can to make sure they have access to books. Because for a reder, life without books is true torture.
Nursing homes and hospitals
Nursing homes and hospitals sometimes have books for the patients to read but not always. My mil was in one hospital that had quite a few books to read and then a couple of years later she was back in the same hospital and they had removed the books. Stupid hospital. It had something to do with germs but I figure if someone is contageous you just get rid of the books they are reading not the whole works. I sometimes donate books and picture puzzles to nursing homes. I only hope that when I end up in one I will have access to books.
When I get a little money I buy books, and then if any is left I buy food and clothes..-- Erasmus
Larger Font Books & Ebook-Reader
Maybe larger font size books are better for nursing homes patrons. I kind of agree that because of cross-contamination issues, hospitals don't like provide a 'library' for the patients. I use ebook reader & prefer ebook more than printed ones; I am thinking: ebook readers can be cleaned, so if a hospital has a few ebook-readers, patients can 'check out' a reader for a few books to read. Well, this is just a brainstorm idea.
idea
That's a GREAT idea, Orchid!
Another Idea-Audio Books
The audio books are cds, so the patients or nursing home patrons can use disposable head-phones or ear-phones (like those on the air-plane). CD players, audio books can be checked out from the 'library'.
Great idea
They're just soooooooo expensive. BUT if people donated them, that could work.
Similar to Movies on Plane, 'Pay-per-View' in Cable
On the plane: passengers can have a choice of movies, music stations, so audio books can be downloaded in the facility's main system, all patrons can choose the ones they like & the earphones will be disposed of later.
In cable-tv: there is choice of movies, e-books can be downloaded to the facility's system, instead of watching tv, the tv can be the reading scene for those e-books.
MaryBeth, as you say, the family only gave the old lady a prayer book, thinking that that would be sufficient, apparently that's not the case.
I have been reading many Kindle-user reviews (since I use the ebook-reader Kindle), many said they could read again because of this gadget, their life become more meaningful. Due to various physical limitations, some couldn't be able read, so they didn't ask for books to read, not that they didn't like or want to read, because it was pointless, they cannot read or hold or turn pages of a regular print book.
Well, of course, this is all wishing thinking, getting facilities to modify their systems (???, HA!). Donation is definitely the first step, maybe corporate donations. This is another story...
Orchid