Visiting people in the hospital -- rules, tips, patient's views, visitors views

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Lots of people wind up in the hospital and their friends and family show up there to visit them... I saw this little opinion piece on the net that perhaps might give those who visit patients in the hospital a bit of good advice about what to do and not to do:"As a volunteer at the Reception Desk at Tri-City Medical Center, I would like to pass along a few suggestions for visitors. First, if you are bringing or sending flowers, make sure the bouquet is small. Your family member or friend still will know you are thinking of him or her and it won't make it so hard to find a place to put the flowers or plant. Also, don't bring a bunch of flowers with no vase. There may or may not be one on the nursing floor, and frankly they have better things to do than go looking for one. Balloons are very popular now, particularly for a new mother and baby. One or two balloons are just as welcoming as 10, and they must be Mylar and not latex. Many people are allergic to the latex and they have a tendency to pop and frighten the babies. If you do bring latex, we will ask you to leave them at the desk for retrieval later. This last may sound strange but be sure to know the name of the patient and how the name is spelled, if possible. You would be surprised how many people come in with just a first name or an incorrect last name ---- maybe the patient's legal name is hyphenated or not the name the person actually goes by. If you ask for someone named Bill Smith, we can figure out that he is really William, but if you ask for Bud Smith, we have to take a wild guess. We are volunteers who are here to help but it would make everyone's life easier if you heeded the suggestions above."http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/10/16/opinion/commentary/18_12_2110_15_07.txt Have you stayed in a hospital before? Did others visit you? What were your feelings and thoughts about those who visited you? Did you wish some of them had acted differently than they did? How? Why?Have you visited people in the hospital? Did you know about what to do and not to do? Do the suggestions above assist you at all? What other tips would you like to share?