# My new roommate can die and I wouldn't care **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2022, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155 "2022-05-08T21:43:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155/21 "2022-05-09T23:57:30Z")
Pillow speakers aren’t always good enough- I spent two nights in the hospital last week and my 95 year old roommates pillow speaker was so loud, I had to watch my tablet with earphones. The only way I would hear my TV over hers was to turn mine up so loud I would have gotten a headache. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155/22 "2022-05-10T06:16:47Z")
It sounds to me like you need the universal remote app and an IR blaster. > **[Can My Smartphone Be Used as a Universal Remote?](https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-apps/phone-universal-remote.htm)** > > It seems that smartphones are capable of just about anything these days. But is it possible to use them to turn on our televisions or lower the volume on our stereos? Be sure to use it only intermittently, so he doesn’t realize it’s you. Find a channel that is just fuzz, then switch it back and forth from the channel he’s trying to watch until he just gives up. He’ll just think he’s got a bad signal. And, of course, it will never happen when the nurses or the IT folks are there to help him. 😈 😈 😈 😈 😈 😈 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155/23 "2022-05-11T17:45:24Z")
I wish hospitals would stop putting two people in one room, it’s stressful for most patients and family/visitors. If nothing else having your roommate and their guests hear all your medical issues should be a HIPAA concern. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155/24 "2022-05-12T15:53:39Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I wish hospitals would stop putting two people in one room, it’s stressful for most patients and family/visitors. I have to laugh. If this was the U.K. you would find yourself in a ward with no TV and about half the equipment you expect in your semi-private U.S. room. That’s serious first world privilege you are asking for. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155/25 "2022-05-12T17:32:05Z")
Some years ago, my (now) late grandmother was admitted to the hospital for a few days. I watched with disbelief as she went from a congenial, quiet old lady to the terror of all those around her. Shouting, screaming, complaining about anybody who dared come near her. She even unleashed a few profanities - we all got a chuckle out of that. Remember that hospital admission is extremely stressful for older people. They get depressed, sometimes severely disoriented, and might miss the familiar, comforting home environment they (rightfully) should spend their last days in. Add to that nurses and doctors not really being sensitive to their needs, a lack of companionship, and not a little suffering from whatever they are in the hospital for, and you have a gravely discomforting environment that can bring the inner beast out of the most gentle of the seniors. That’s probably what’s happening to the grandpa you are sharing your room with. But I can understand why it bothers you so much. Good luck with your healing, and I do hope you send good vibes to the old dude making your life miserable. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155/26 "2022-05-12T17:55:46Z")
All of the above is true, though, if memory serves, dropzone (and his Fox-loving roommate) is in some sort of a long-term care or skilled nursing facility, and has been for a while (hence the series of roommates he’s had). Most or all of what @mandala describes is likely equally applicable to someone in such a facility, but it is technically a different sort of situation. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155/27 "2022-05-12T23:12:02Z")
My father had a mild case of ICU psychosis when he was hospitalized a few years ago, and placed in the ICU because med/surg was full. Transferring him to a regular room cured it. > [@My father is in the ICU (but don't panic; it's not what you may think)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-is-in-the-icu-but-dont-panic-its-not-what-you-may-think/829049): > > Yesterday morning, my dad suddenly vomited a not-insignificant amount of coffee-ground blood, and then fainted. My mother called 911, and when the paramedics arrived, my dad said, “Get me off the floor and go on your way.” Mother said, “They’ll get you off the floor and take you to the hospital” which is what they did. Last night, she was semi-coherent because of exhaustion and having to call everyone and tell them, but today, I got a little more of the story. He had an upper-GI scope and it… Whoever said @dropzone is in a LTCF is correct. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-roommate-can-die-and-i-wouldnt-care/964155.md?page=1)