Here’s another great post by Brian Croft on how to time pastoral visits.
The only thing I would emphasize is that although most illnesses are not as life-threatening today as they once were, I recommend that you always speak to a member of the family directly to find out how sick someone is. If you just rely on an elder’s or deacon’s report, the urgency of the situation may not be communicated, and then you get a call a day or two later telling you that the person has died. Not a happy phone call to take. And not a happy visit to make next. As Croft sums it up: ” In summary, always error on the shorter time…both in how long you stay and how long you wait to go.”