Waiting

There are so many patients on the wards who either have been discharged but can't pay, or whom are not sick enough to get much attention, that they just sit around literally for weeks. There is one elderly man with HIV who has been discharged for a least 3 weeks but has no relatives and no money so he both can't pay his bill and also has no where to go. So he just lies there day after day. Theoretically he would still be served food (I think) but he has no relatives to feed him (he is too weak to do that himself) so he is basically starving to death. He never even gets to go outside. I want to try to start feeding him Ensure so that at least he gets some nutrition. Although what is the end point with him?

The boy with chronic diarrhea and an A1c of >15% is an example of someone that is relatively well and so he has sat in the wards for at least 6 days just to get stool studies. Which the lab has lost at least once. He is probably getting worse food here than at home and thus is probably becoming even more malnourished (nevermind the risk of infection) while in the hospital. Plus he has literally shared the bed with, or at least been in the bed next to, 4 people who have died during his stay. One was his age. I just feel so bad for him; it is so pointless for him to sit there day after day but I have no idea how to help except to constantly remind people that his labs need to be followed up.