Occasions when the sick one may not be able to request prayer The parents or guardians of very young children and those with severe learning difficulty will obviously have to do the asking. It is also right for the relatives of those unconscious or sedated in intensive therapy units (ITU) to ask for prayer on behalf of their loved ones. An ITU can be a very intimidating place for lay people but I think two or three elders should go and pray, having discussed it with the nurse in charge. An ITU is