Procedure will help patients with their paperwork
Dear Heloise: In a September 2006 News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla. -- Heloise) column, you requested that people who run medical practices reply to your column about people needing assistance in filling out paperwork.
I have been an office administrator for seven cardiothoracic surgeons for 23 years and never gave a thought to the fact that patients might need help completing their paperwork.
After reading your column about this problem, I came into the office on the next Monday and told my receptionist to ask each and every patient who came in the door whether he or she needs assistance. This procedure will definitely be added to our procedure book. Aubrey Cleland, via e-mail
Good for you! I bet your patients will respond favorably. Are there more positive stories? I'd love to share them. Please send an e-mail to: Heloise@CompuServe.com; or write to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I have found that felt holds the scent of room sprays a long time. Just take a piece of felt, cut out hearts, stars or any other shapes, and sew a string through the top. Spray with room spray or your favorite cologne and hang in your car, bathroom or anyplace you want to smell fresh. When the odor dissipates, just spray the felt again. Evelina, via e-mail
And here are two great hints from Karen Yoho of Greenbelt, Md.:
I use a tall, hanging shoe holder in the pantry closet for my daughter's snacks and school lunch-bag items. I can leave less-desirable items in compartments toward the top, where she can't reach quite yet, and the healthier stuff below. Now packing lunches can even be a group effort as I tell her to get things from different compartments.
When I used to break long spaghetti over the pot, it would often go every which way. Now I bend the cardboard box before I get to the pot, then just pour it in! No more flyaway noodles!
Dear Heloise: As a wearer of hard contact lenses, one night I was walking out of a friend's home when a branch from a tree brushed past my eye, and out popped my contact lens. It was dark out, so I grabbed my cell phone, flipped it open and used the light (rather bright) from the display to reflect off my contact. I was lucky I found it in the grass and leaves. There are many uses for cell phones -- they are not just for making calls. Gail Proko, Kenosha, Wis.
Dear Heloise: For every lady who has a unique and special evening bag that might be soiled or that has lost a bead or two: Instead of throwing it away, why not use it as an elegant storage container for jewelry, coins or other small items on your dresser? Now you can enjoy its beauty and elegance forever. I hope you enjoy this hint as much as I have. Cynthia Johnson, via e-mail
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate