In addition, they each had a small crochet bag I'd made, medicine bundles, filled with rocks from home and written love notes and, of course, kidney beans. I had recorded music for each of them that was played during the operations. Thus are conscious rituals and unconscious ritualized behavior enacted everyday in American hospitals. Childrens Hospital of Boston told me several years ago that food and family are two of the most important elements in patient health at the hospital. Hospital policy strongly encouraged that a family member stay overnight in the child patient's room, and every unit had a kitchen where families could store and prepare meals.
Food is rich with nutrient and with metaphor.
To make food healthy, we must be aware of both. Though the recent financial climate has been toward limiting choices at hospitals, patient advocates continue to support programs that link home and hospital at the heart. Wander through your house. Notice how your consciousness changes. What are the typical patterns you walk.