I do not believe you could find a single example of a footnote that I moved that specifically referred only to the immediately preceding word.  I have never seen any such example, and if I did, I would rewrite the sentence such that the reference could go at the end of a clause.
There was a time when the kind of edits I make were not in the least bit controversial.  Wikipedia's always been more of a game to most people than an actual encyclopaedia, but there was a time when people who cared about quality were numerous enough to actually make a difference.  Not any more.  Nowadays articles are degrading constantly under an onslaught of uneducated and ignorant edits, with stupidity enforced by the fervent believers in the sickeningly misguided BRD essay.  My break will not be as long as any of you would like it to be. 201.215.187.159