Recovering hospital patients may lose their will to get better while spending a holiday, such as Thanksgiving, in the hospital, according to Dr. Stephen Krasner, a south Florida cardiologist. Spending the holidays in the hospital can affect a patient emotionally and psychologically, Krasner said. Emotional or psychological issues can hinder a patient's recovery, both mentally and physically, he said. "Patients get depressed because they are not with their families," Krasner said. Depressed patients tend not to eat, which enhances the risk of secondary infections and complications, he said. Emotional strain after surgery can cause kidney issues as well, according to Krasner. A major component in a patient getting better is keeping his or her mental state in tact, he said. Many hospitals, however, do not have psychiatric help, and patients with emotional needs do not get taken care of the way they should, according to Krasner. "Having the support of family and friends can help a patient get better quicker," he said. Patients' depression comes from the isolation they feel being away from their families and the comfort of their homes, according to Bela Lauber, the nutrition service manager at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. Hospitals provide traditional meals during the holidays to make the patients feel more at home and less isolated, Lauber said. "Any type of familiarity is what you want to provide," he said. "Patients can request the food that they want to eat." Patients are not the only ones who feel emotional stress from spending the holidays at a hospital, according to Lori March, a lawyer from Weston, Fla., who spent part of her Thanksgiving at the hospital visiting her brother-in-law who had knee surgery Monday. "It was a little depressing to be in the hospital at that time," March said. "You see families sitting helpless in the waiting rooms and patients praying they are well enough to go home for the holiday." The most difficult part was deciding whether to spend more time with her family at the hospital or her family at home, she said. March said she was torn because she wanted to be able to be in two places at once. "It was sad not being able to have the entire family together for our traditional Thanksgiving dinner," March said. "We couldn't have our perfect Thanksgiving, but we did what we could to make it as special as possible." Since her brother-in-law could not be home for the holiday, March tried to make his time in the hospital as pleasant as it could be, she said. Bringing him things he enjoys helped speed up the recovery process, March said. "I brought a turkey lunch for him to enjoy and the newest issue of Sports Illustrated, his favorite magazine," she said. "I think his speedy recovery is due, in part, to the motivation his visitors gave him." All of his close friends and immediate family came to the hospital, according to March. The holidays are supposed to be a time spent with loved ones, she said, and this Thanksgiving was no exception for her brother-in-law, despite having to spend it in the hospital. "Without the love and support of his friends and family, my brother-in-law would not have recovered as fast as he did, and he would not have been able to be released from the hospital only four days after his surgery," she said. "Spending Thanksgiving in the hospital was not as difficult as we thought it would be, but we're looking forward to spending it away from the hospital next year." | 
