Can you take a road trip on $500-700? (facilities, cheaper, drivers)
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My point was that many hospitals are not going to allow it,.......
I'm sure it varies by each hospital, but my local hospital actually has a little RV park for people who have very sick relatives in the hospital. Hospitals aren't surprised that relatives want to stay with sick children or dying wives.
Ronald McDonald Houses are at most major hospitals for relatives of the sick to stay at. Not that it would act as a cheap place to stay, but rather to point out that hospitals are not opposed to relatives staying close by at night.
Hospitals will have security, because they must defend themselves against druggies who know there are drugs inside. Be clean, quiet, and respectful and there should not be an issue, unless that particular hospital has a problem with vagrants.
30+ yrs as a caregiver for a disabled parent, I spent countless nights sleeping in hospital parking lots. Never a question from security. People have to travel from all over to attend their family. My mom did a several months in hospital lots (in her camper van) while caring for her brother a few yrs ago. I recently did several hospital lots in TX, AZ, NV, CA. Must be the 'west' is more understanding than our professional travel expert from FL. We could start the discussion / advice by asking "How many nights have you stayed in a car?". Less than 20 in last 5 yrs? don't bother answering.
I usually drive at night to make faster progress, and to utilize daylight hours for exploring, it is easier to take a nap during the day (about anywhere) especially hospitals.
Why wouldn't you stay at the home of the person hospitalized?
Homeless people sleep in cars. Normal people get hotel rooms, rent holiday accommodations, have a camper or RV, or stay with friends. Unless it's a nap t take off the edge, there's no valid reason to sleep in a car like a vagrant.
I'm sure it varies by each hospital, but my local hospital actually has a little RV park for people who have very sick relatives in the hospital. Hospitals aren't surprised that relatives want to stay with sick children or dying wives.
Ronald McDonald Houses are at most major hospitals for relatives of the sick to stay at. Not that it would act as a cheap place to stay, but rather to point out that hospitals are not opposed to relatives staying close by at night.
Hospitals will have security, because they must defend themselves against druggies who know there are drugs inside. Be clean, quiet, and respectful and there should not be an issue, unless that particular hospital has a problem with vagrants.
Most hospitals allow parents to sleep in the child's room, and unless they are in ICU, the same goes for spouses. most hospitals are going towards single rooms for this reason. These days people who are dying of long-term disease aren't kept in the hospital, they are moved to hospice.
Ronald McDonald House isn't sleeping in a car. In fact it's the polar opposite. Many hospitals also have discounted rates with nearby hotels.
This will seem a bit unorthodox, but a friend recently did it. He went on a road trip that took him passed 2 major airports at just about the right time for him to start thinking about a place to stay. So he simply went into the parking garage, pulled into a place, and slept in his vehicle. Now, keep in mind, he drives a SUV with dark tinted windows so even if airport police go through the garage, it would have been extremely difficult to tell that there was somebody in his vehicle. One airport cost him $20 and the other one cost him $12 I think he said, but he also didn't stay all night long in that one. May not be the best idea, but probably worth considering if you don't have to go too far out of the way to get to one. I'm not sure what his budget was, but he definitely got to stay cheap at night.
Why wouldn't you stay at the home of the person hospitalized?
That's assuming the person is hospitalized in vaguely the same city where they live. Need specialist burn care where I live? It's a 150 mile trip one way to the nearest burn center in Mobile, Alabama. Specialist/second level/experimental cancer treatment? It's about a 4-4.5 hour drive one way to Jacksonville. Sadly, I know too many people who have needed that kind of cancer care that can't be handled well locally.
The people I know who find themselves in that kind of family health care crisis do manage to be there for the ailing, but it's often a case of people who were well of and did have a financial cushion still managing to blow through both savings and HELOC limit in order to do so.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk
Why wouldn't you stay at the home of the person hospitalized?
Homeless people sleep in cars. Normal people get hotel rooms, rent holiday accommodations, have a camper or RV, or stay with friends. Unless it's a nap t take off the edge, there's no valid reason to sleep in a car like a vagrant.
Wow, so aloof, so uninformed, so inconsiderate, so inexperienced...
What makes you think person in hospital lives NEAR hospital, or even has a home? (many 'normal people' NEVER will have a home)
1) out west we drive 4 hrs for monthly grocery runs, kinda long commute every night for a silly bed.
2) 32 yrs as a caregiver, my disabled parent that I was responsible for never had a home (except my own, which was many hours from a hospital.)
3) flying to another state for emergency hospital visits (often) does not afford the luxury of an RV.
4) What are the chances you have an available short notice friend in a strange city, when you barely had time to throw a few things in your pack and catch a flight?
Wow, need to get out more and lower yourself to understand (listen ) to common (normal) people, We sleep in cars often and have done so for generations. We have some very interesting stories... (Grapes of Wrath type). Happens every night in USA (and around the world) a million times over. Much to learn from 'Normal People', I am amazed and enlightened by them everyday.
Three times this year I had to go to a hospital 300-3000 miles from my home for medical appointments.
I did what a reasonable person would do. Booked a plane ticket and flew there. Once I was able to stay with friends, the other I paid for a hotel room. The one that was 300 miles I drove there and back the same day. Grabbed a nap while having an MRI.
That's assuming the person is hospitalized in vaguely the same city where they live. Need specialist burn care where I live? It's a 150 mile trip one way to the nearest burn center in Mobile, Alabama. Specialist/second level/experimental cancer treatment? It's about a 4-4.5 hour drive one way to Jacksonville. Sadly, I know too many people who have needed that kind of cancer care that can't be handled well locally.
The people I know who find themselves in that kind of family health care crisis do manage to be there for the ailing, but it's often a case of people who were well of and did have a financial cushion still managing to blow through both savings and HELOC limit in order to do so.
Agreed. For example, Childrens Hospital of Michigan serves the entire state of Michigan and Southern Ontario. People travel hundreds of mile for treatment.
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) to common (normal) people, We sleep in cars often and have done so for generations. We have some very interesting stories... (Grapes of Wrath type). Happens every night in USA (and around the world) a million times over. Much to learn from 'Normal People', I am amazed and enlightened by them everyday.
