In some areas, pateints have to travel long distance for getting treatment. This makes the patients more sick
In a recent blog post, I gave you a list of 15 things you might consider packing to make your upcoming hospital stay more comfortable. But what if you’re a visitor, not the patient? What kinds of things can you do to make your friend or relative happier while they’re in the land of backless nightgowns and fluorescent lighting?
Start by taking a look at that checklist. If an item on it didn’t make it into your friend’s room, consider bringing it to her. She may have run out of time, or tote space, to get a floor lamp, for example, but by now she may be wishing she had one.
Here are some new ideas to consider:
1. If your patient is tall — say, 6’0″ or over — there’s every chance in the world that he’s feeling cramped in his hospital bed. It’s a little-known fact that most hospital beds can be lengthened. Choose a moment when the nurses aren’t at their busiest, and ask to have the bed extended. Typically, an engineer will be summoned, the bed footboard will be pulled out, and an extension will be inserted at the foot of the mattress.
2. If your patient will be in bed for any appreciable amount of time, she will be more comfortable if she’s lying not just on the mattress but also on a bed pad designed to improve her blood circulation. If your patient’s bed doesn’t have one, ask for one. In the old days, you’d get an egg-crate style foam pad; the newer approach is an inflatable bed pad that automatically adjusts itself under the patient to avoid sustained pressure in one spot or another. Bed sores are a real issue, but even if they’re not a concern for your patient, a pad will make a hospital bed much more comfortable.
3. Here’s another problem with hospital beds: To protect patients, mattresses and pillows are encased in plastic — a splendid idea, no doubt, but the result, too often, is that your patient will find himself lying in a pool of sweat. Do him a favor and ask the nurse changing his bed linens to add a cotton blanket under him. The nurse will understand perfectly, and it really will improve your patient’s life.
4. Many hospitals are very dry environments — you’ll notice that your patient’s hands are dry, or that she welcomes an application of moisturizer. Consider asking the nursing staff for a humidifier.
5. As I’ve mentioned on CareZone’s Facebook page, my best tip is to decorate your patient’s room. Hospital rooms are usually all-beige, and what art they have is mediocre. Just a few changes and additions will make all the difference in the world. Be sure, of course, not to do anything that will get in the nurses’ way — after a couple of days, you’ll know their routine, and you’ll know, too, what sight lines and flight paths they need to care for your patient.
Decorations can be as simple as hanging up a reproduction of a beloved piece of art (or examples of a beloved child’s artwork) and bringing in a colorful throw; for a friend on extended bed rest, we covered the hospital chair with a slipcover, bought a couple of colorful throw pillows, a lap robe, and a floor lamp from IKEA, and obscured the hospital’s wall art with cheerful posters. Please note that the hospital’s art will be screwed to the wall and cannot be taken down — use a reusable adhesive like Blu-Tack to stick your art temporarily on top.
6. If your patient’s circumstances prevent her from wearing clothing of her own, you can help her make do with what the hospital has to offer by asking for extra hospital gowns: Worn the other way around (that is, with the ties and opening in front), a second gown will function like a robe, and cover your patient’s tush. If your patient can negotiate her legs into pants, ask for scrub pants for her — that’ll solve the problem of too-short hospital gowns showing too much leg (or worse)