When the nurse came in to give the elderly woman her medication the woman said that she was tired and just wanted to sleep, to which the nurse replied "it's okay hon you can take your pills when you wake up" and places the pills on her night stand. This is totally against hospital policy and is something a nurse would never do. When it is time for a patient to take their medication a nurse would insist that they do so as it is important to take medication at regular intervals. The only type of medication that is usually optional for a hospital patient is pain medication, if someone feels they don't need any they can decline it. But either way a nurse would never leave medication sitting on a table unattended, especially if the medication is a narcotic.