Hospital patients might not appreciate visitors

HELOISE: Hospital patients might not always appreciate visitors

Dear Heloise: As a hospital nurse, I always am concerned about the needs of the patients. Patients are very ill, in pain after surgery or injury, lack sleep due to the normal hospital interruptions and are in the worst appearance you can imagine. Visitors are the last people they want to entertain.

Patients look forward to seeing their spouse and children. Visitors require their attention and constant conversation. They are exhausted when pressed for questions that they have answered for a multitude of visitors. You may be invading their right to privacy and personal preference.

A better visiting time would be after they return home. Even if you are a relative and think you are a welcome sight, be thoughtful and call ahead to ask when your visit would be convenient. If they discourage your visit, understand that they deserve that right of privacy, and send a card instead. An RN in Hawaii

Dear RN: Thank you for telling the truth! Many people welcome visits. Others need quiet time to rest and recuperate. A stream of visitors can be exhausting to deal with. If you do visit, take your cue from the patient! Heloise

P.S.: The next hint is also from a reader in Hawaii, where I lived as a young child. I love Oahu and all of the islands. Mahalo!

Dear Heloise: I read your column daily in the Maui News. Here’s a sure way to avoid leaving your cell-phone charger behind in a hotel or guest room of friends or family: Pack it in one of those silk jewelry bags, preferably brightly colored (mine’s shocking pink). When you’re packing up, the bag will remind you to unplug your charger and take it along, too. Nadine Newlight, Wailea, Hawaii

Dear Heloise: My outdoor garbage can has a horrible smell. I tried cleaning it with a biodegradable cleanser and leaving the lid open for a day, but the smell is still there. Is there anything environmentally friendly that will do the trick? Carol Chiasson, via e-mail

You bet! Vinegar or baking soda, which are both natural deodorizers, will solve the problem. First, clean the can with laundry or dish soap, rinse, then apply a solution of several cups of vinegar to 1 gallon of water. Or use 1‚Ñ2 cup of baking soda to 1 gallon of warm water. Do not rinse. Use an old broom (marked for cleaning trash cans only) to scrub the inside and outside. Leave the lid open and let air-dry in the sun. To keep it fresh, attach a car deodorizer or a hang a toilet deodorizer on the lid. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I still use a regular 35 mm camera. Each photo I take, I write all the information about it in a small booklet that I keep in the camera case, then I put the information on the picture. Belle V., Salida, Colo.

SBlt 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