The Loss of Human Interaction
A neighbor of mine has been in the hospital for three weeks and hasn’t seen his wife or children at all. Another young woman was in the hospital for six weeks before she passed away. She was only allowed to see her husband for 15 minutes on their anniversary. Something is terrible wrong with this. I wonder how many people in hospitals are passing away due to loneliness and no human contact. The patients no longer even receive warm smiles from the hospital staff due to the masks.
When walking by people, some will make sure to walk far away with their heads turned the other way. Gone are the smiles from the cashier, people shopping in the stores, or anywhere else. Instead, people will scold others if they are too close to them in line. All of this is not healthy.
God created us for relationships. He sets the lonely the families, the Bible tells us. Babies who are left in their cribs without any human contact die. We were created for human interaction. The cell phones haven’t helped at all either. Many are on their phones instead of interacting with the one they’re seated by or walking with. Suicides have skyrocketed. Children come home to empty homes. None of this is how God created for us to live.
Mothers, don’t be so distracted with other things that you don’t have plenty of time to smile often at your children, listen to them, cuddle with them, and take the time to discipline, train, and teach them. All of that other stuff doesn’t have eternal consequences like your children. They are eternal human beings. They need your consistent human contact so does your husband, your lonely neighbor, your aging parents, and people in your churches.
We need hugs and affection. We need smiles and laughter. This is what makes life on this wicked earth enjoyable. Do whatever you can to give the people around you these things. It will benefit you greatly too. I don’t know what to tell you about family and friends in the hospital. I believe it’s shameful the way they are being locked down in prisons called hospitals. If doctors and nurses can go into the rooms, why can’t those who love these patients? If you have some helpful hints, please share in the comment section.
You may say you’re not the affectionate type. I understand. It doesn’t come naturally to me but I have become much more affectionate. My sisters and I give each other huge hugs whenever we see each other. It’s the same with close friends. Even after the end of my radiation treatments, one of the nurses gave me a big hug telling me she’s the hugging type, and it felt so good. Don’t allow a virus stop you from loving people and giving them affection, IF they want it. Some are living in such fear of the virus that they don’t want anyone touching them. They are missing out.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.
Romans 12:10
16 thoughts on “The Loss of Human Interaction”
I’m definitely the hugging type and I always ask people if they are accepting hugs and nearly everyone has said Yes!
I know for a fact people are passing away from COVID because they aren’t getting visit from their loved ones. We had a friend who beat cancer only to die from COVID. That just didn’t make sense to me at all.
I 100% believe that the number of deaths is highly contributed to by the lack of physical contact, no smiles. It all creates a send of despair and despair is deadly. Many people who have died from this would not have died had their families been able to be in contact with them regularly just like they used to when one became ill. Not to mention the exponential rise in the number of suicides, and homicides. Humans have been turned into scared, and angry people. They do not recognize each other as a human, someone to love, with no connection to each other there is no reason to see value in the lives of each other and ourselves. Mask create emotionless, faceless, zombie like people. Not a pleasant existence right now.
Hello Lori,
This post as well as many others of yours struck home. I’m a nurse and never in my career did I think I would be working during something like this. Its heartbreaking having patients in the hospital alone and afraid. The other day I had a patient that was an older gentleman crying to me that he just wanted to go home and be with his family, but unfortunately he was in no condition to do so. I started crying with him, and then asked if I could pray with him. We prayed together and cried together. Praise God I was able to wheel that man out of the hospital 4 days later. Most hospitals aren’t allowing visitors to lessen the spread of the virus, unless of course its end of life care or special circumstances. I understand both sides, its a terrible thing to have to go through.
Agree completely. We know numerous people who have died (not of COVID) alone in the hospital with family members being kept out. Frankly, it is beyond wrong – it is sick and perverted. There are NO circumstances under which it is acceptable to keep the ill and dying from their family members.
The ease with which our people have accepted the propaganda that is intentionally isolating and separating people and communities is frightening. The media has successfully incited a panic in which people are frightened of all other people, and the consequences are staggeringly bad. People who are isolated will eventually become depressed, withdrawn, mentally ill, suicidal, and socially unhealthy (both individually and communally) in so many ways – and that’s aside from government-induced job losses and poverty.
Thanks for drawing attention to this.
I have no great idea but would avoid going to hospital as long as possible.
I’m from Germany. My bedridden dad with severe dementia lived in a care home. My mom used to visit him twice a day and give him lunch to make sure he eats enough cause it takes some time the personal might not have. My siblings and their kids could see him any time cause they all live close by. In spring they shut down the care home for 8 weeks. Then they called and said my dad refuses to eat and drink and will die soon, so my mom was allowed to see him (with mask and gloves). After one visit from her he started to eat and drink again as before. As it became clear that he wasn’t about to die, visits were restricted again. Since then only one person per day could see him for up to an hour. Children were not allowed, not even to say goodbye when we thought he was palliative.
When I came to what seemed to be my last visit, a nurse was in the room all the time to make sure i dont take off my mask etc. I wept into the mask, sang and prayed under the watch of the nurse. It was awful.
My dad died in the end of november. After several weeks again without visits, we were informed that he was tested positive but doing good without symptoms. Four days later they called to say he had passed away. Might as well have been starved to death, cause at that time half of the personal was sick with covid, my mom could not feed him and he himself couldn’t even complain. We’ll never no what really happened, beside that he spent his last 10 months mostly alone (without being able to understand why in the world nobody would visit him), saw only faces with masks and was touched with gloves.
And then we didnt know until one day before the funeral if all family (almost 40) would be allowed to attend, but thankfully it worked out in the end cause all the younger grandchildren didn’t count. The get together afterwards at my brothers house was illegal cause more than two households but we didn’t care.
The saddest thing was not his death himself, which was to be expected sooner or later, but the inhumane circumstances.
And there are still living many in care homes, being “protected” from death by all means, and no hope to get out like hospitalized people.
All in a so called free democratic country. I can’t imagine how people who have no hope in Jesus can deal with all of this without going crazy.
Serena your comment reminded me of the time I woke up from surgery on 9/11. The next day a nurse asked me if I wanted to go to the chapel with the other nurses, doctors and staff to pray. I did and was so encouraged by all the Christians on staff praying! Thank you for praying with this man.
You are 100% free to check your family members out of the hospital. The hospital is not the boss of you. Stop blaming them for this.
This is very sad. However, you are always free to check your loved one out of a facility so he or she does not have to die alone. Why are we passing the buck here? If this blog is about women taking care of families, why are we validating women outsourcing care of elders to nursing homes?
If you live by the sword, die by the sword.
Families ARE able to contact. People can leave the hospital. Hospitals are not jails. What is happening that people are sheep and are not aware of their own rights? Take your loved one out of the hospital, sign all the “absolving of liability” forms, and do the right thing. It’s in your power. You are not a victim.
All of these people were actively dying and were kept from their family members. There was no question of being able to check out who was in the last few minutes of his/her life.
Yes, it’s terrible to have a reduced number of contacts. But in no way does that directly cause the number of deaths you’re suggesting. People do not die due to lack of personal contact. People are dying of COVID, and unless you take measures, it’s a potential deadly contagious disease.
What is worrying though is the lack of adequate reactions by official agencies towards new CURES for COVID, which seem very promising to say the least. See https://covid19criticalcare.com how research on Ivermectin has recently been published with VERY promising results!
It’s disgusting what is going on. It has got to stop! All for a virus with a 99% survival rate.
They will all reap what they sow.
People *do die* from lack of physical contact! It is generally called “failure to thrive” and happens most among our most vulnerable populations: the very young, and the very old.
Are you referring to “failure to thrive” as defined at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_to_thrive? That’s only talking about failure to gain weight. It is not deadly. If not, provide evidence that people actually die from lack of physical contact, if they are sufficiently cared for. The only obscure reference I could find was to an article from the 1940s on the death rate in orphanages. There an increase in death rate was postulated. I could not find reproducible evidence.
Paul, you may read my comment again. My dad (who usually didn’t even seem to notice visits) had no family visiting for 8 weeks. He then stopped eating and drinking, which will lead to death. After the first visit from my mom he started to eat and drink again. If that doesnt show clearly that people die from lack of contact, i dont know.
Dana, what about asking questions before you judge.
I agree tho that children should take care of their old parents, and after my dad’s death i said that I’m not gonna let my mother die this way.
As it is, I’m the only daughter and live 500km away from my parents. My mom doesnt want to move. Last year i was pregnant with our 5th child (oldest being just 8) and we live in a 2 bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor without elevator. We try to find a bigger apartment since 5 years. So tell me how i should have been taking care of my dad, which is a more or less fulltime job for 2 strong people?
Of my 4 brothers one is mentally ill and can hardly care for himself, one cared for my dad for some months beside his fulltime job and wrecked his back, 2 others have to work to provide for their families, and both their wifes have been pregnant last year with their 6th child.