I ask this question because as a medical professional I believe this is a significant question for all of my patients to consider. Whether you are currently healthy or sick, young or old, this is the key question.

All too often, I see patients who don’t have an answer to this question. Perhaps they are healthy and haven’t gotten sick or ill before. Perhaps they already are sick and they are a widower or do not have a strong support system. Whatever the situation, the fact is that most of the people that come into the hospital and don’t do well outside of the hospital are those that don’t have people to take care of them.

As a medical professional, I really have seen all types of patients. My feeling is that they key thread among healthier patients is support and caretaking. Those with strong spouses or strong family ties do better than those without. Perhaps this is intuitive but clearly it pays to have supporters.

I’m harping on this point because if people thought about this more everyday, they would live their lives differently. They would make better friends, they would be better to their families and friends and neighbors — they would treat other people as if one day they would need their help. And the truth is that most people at some point in their lives will need the help of others. For those who don’t have that support system, it is usually too late.

Wouldn’t it be something if every patient who walked into your office had that support system? Health care would be more effective, would cost less for our government, and patients would get better quicker and stay better.