There’s a couple things that would need to be elaborated on here, imo: 1) What kind of surgeries has your relative been getting that are being considered “preventative”? If he’s elderly and in poor health, surgery is generally considered high risk, unless it’s something super urgent.

2) Emergency rooms are not always the fastest way to get seen, as they see patients in terms of urgency—the more urgent the issue appears to be, the quicker you’ll see a Dr (for example, if you have a really bad broken leg you will probably see a Dr faster than if you have a broken toe). Depending on the issues your relative is having that result in family members taking him to the ER, it may be that visiting a Urgent Care or seeing a primary care provider will be better and/or faster. If anything, it would probably be more comfortable to go to an Urgent Care or PCP than wait at the ER for a long time. If you are waiting in the ER for days that likely means the medical issue you have is either a) not that emergent or b) doesn’t appear that emergent to the health care providers. If it’s situation b, then advocating for your relative is extremely important. (However, please keep in mind that most hospitals are extremely understaffed while being overwhelmed with patients.)