If he’s a fiend, he probably isn’t so concerned about hilchos Shabbos.
Okay, now that I’ve gotten the make-fun-of-the-misspelling joke out of the way, why is the alternative to stay away from the ill spouse the whole Shabbos? Maybe the alternative should be to stay on the 19th floor the whole Shabbos?
Anyhow, the answer to this question likely depends on the degree of tzorech (my question alludes to a factor in that determination), and I don’t think you’ve given enough information to determine that.