Home Nursing by E. M. GRAHAM

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 8, 1910

Home Nursing

By E. M. GRAHAM

From a Patient’s Standpoint

E. M. GRAHAM

THERE are many little things in nursing that make a great difference to the comfort of a sick person, which appear trifles not worth notice to one who is well. Perhaps the mention of some of these may be helpful to those who are called upon to care for sick ones in their own homes or families.

A patient who is very ill should be questioned as little as possible. The nurse should watch the patient, and learn to know what needs to be done and when to do it, without reference to the patient. Questions at such a time are often intensely aggravating to the sick person, though no complaint may be made. Neither should a patient be left to ask for needed attentions. Many will suffer in silence rather than take the trouble to make a request. A good nurse is very watchful of her patient, and gives constant but unobtrusive care.

On the other hand, the nurse should not be overcareful, or fussy, so that her attentions become burdensome. It takes a great deal of tact to deal with a very sick person, and to strike the happy medium between needful care and overattention.

Another thing to be avoided is the admittance of many visitors. In cases of serious illness, quietness is essential. Conversation is much more fatiguing to one who is ill than most people realize.

A very few moments’ talking will sometimes so exhaust a patient as to take several hours for recovery from the effects. The patient will not show this while talking; but after the visitor has gone, the effects may be plainly seen, and will be still more plainly felt.

In chronic cases and convalescence more visitors, of the right kind, may be allowed; but at all times, care must be exercised in this respect.

A patient should never be asked by the nurse what he would like to eat. Such a question will almost certainly destroy what little appetite there may be. The invalid’s tastes should be ascertained from others, and humored as far as is consistent with the doctor’s orders. If a desire is expressed for any wholesome food that has not been forbidden, it should be gratified. Many times, if the meals are served daintily, with no word to the patient until they appear, they will be eaten as a matter of course. The meal is there, and it is easier to eat it than to argue about it. Usually, the less said about food, the better.

There are many other little things that add to a patient’s comfort, such as keeping the room well aired, so that it always feels fresh; changing the bed linen frequently; keeping the windows properly shaded, so that the room is neither too dark nor too light; keeping the room at the right temperature, and such coverings over the patient as are needed for comfort. The nerves of a patient who is seriously ill are usually very irritable, and trifling departures from the happy medium in these things are acutely felt.

The nurse who gives the thoughtful attention to all these things will do much for the recovery of her patient, and will certainly earn the gratitude of the one she has cared for.