The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-04-13
COMFORTS FOR THE SICK.
Some Practical Hints for
Making an InVal1d'S
Life Easier.
DRAFT DOORS AND HAMM0CkS
How to Remove Grease Spots
Decorations and Simple
Cures.
DRAFT DOORS AND HAMMOCK'

Very often ventilation and quietness
would both be promoted by leaving a
door ajar. Yet that occasions a danger
Gus draft. In such a case do this'-Make
a frame of light steel two feet wild an d
something higher than your door. Brace
it with lath tackled diagonally across
each corner. Then cover both sides OF
it with print or cambria, or muslin
anything smooth, light and dull colored
Get a pair of cheap door hinges. screw.
them on eight inches from the ends OF
your cloth door and hang 1t to the outer
edge of the inner casing in such fashion
that it shall quite break the draft when
the other door stands ajar. See that the
temporary door swings clear at the bot
tom, ana IS so lung as to stand naJ
against the wall when otherwise ii would
be in the way. Ii a hole be bored In the
two outer corners, aud d two-inch length
of rubber tubing slipped through IT, slam
ming will be an impossib11ity. Ihe ad-
vantage of such a door is manifest. 1t
can be made and hung with very little
trouble or expense. and once IL is IN
| place let's the air. or the nurse go in and
| out at pleasure without possible harm OF
draft to the patient.
Another contrivapce is the bed ham
| mock, IL most refreshing betterment when
pillows refuse ob%stinately to "lie easy"
or have grown holly wearisome. 10
! make it take a bit of very stout cloth
linen is best-a yard deep and four feet
long after a double hem has been turned
two inches deep across each end. Sew a
long length of webbing stoutly to each
Of the four corners. Sew two light rods.
each a yard long, a small broomstlck
makes excellent ones. Put a stout screw
eye in either end CT both rods, slip them
into the hens, pass the webbing through
the eyes, and you hem work Is complete.
To use this bed hammock, all that is
required is to fasten the webbing to the
beuposts OF either side. then the SICK
person can recline at ease against the
cloth.
Where the bedstead has high foot posts.
| the hammock can be slung TO them quite
as well. On very many accounts it IS
often desirable TO "change the head" OF
the couch. This hammock affords almost
infinite variety of position. Its angle can
b. shifted to any degree. 1t may be
| padded with cushions. or left cool and
| single. BY help OF an air cushion 1T Will
| give ease TO the aching, burning muscles
of back, sides and shoulders. Or he may
sit SO upright in it to eat his dinner as
almost to give himself a sense OF health
| and we'll being.
In cases where the weight Of even the
lightest bed clothes is painful or undesir-
able, here is o good plan to keep them
from touching the patient. Get a dozen
large size screw eyes and put them In
three sets of two each, one above the
other. inside each bedrail. The first set
| ought to be eight inches from the foot,
the last ore about twc-thfrds the rails
length. If very heavy blankets are to be
upheld it is best to put an extra half
| dozen eyes in tine foot ball as well. When
| they are In place slip In small rods, wood
or cane, of such length as to stand ten
| inches above the mattress. Let the
blankets rest upon the tops, tucklng
them down between the rods. They will
| sag enough for warmth, yet with no per-
ceptible weight upon broken bones or in
famed eDdOns. s.t...,., ~
Ii space does not absolutely forbid, al
ways set a sick bed at least three feet
away from the wall everywhere. Screw
a dozen small picture hooks into the out
side of the ~headboard. 1t Is the handiest
| place in the world to hang all the towels.
shawls and extra garments when they
are not in use or are not 'niring." A
lon Q bag with three deep. square pockets,
also should be found there. Its use is
| only to be measured by its capacity-and
| both seem limitless. In one pocket keep
| cotton batting. in another bandages ana
poultice cloths; in the top pocket your
own especial sharp scissors, a bit of fan
mel stuck full of threaded coarse needles.
| tape. cord, strong thread. bits of lineh
and flannel, two or three thimbles, an
emory cushion and Il bit of wax.
If the sick-room ceiling affords any sort
of firm holding ground, hand stirrups
pendant over the bed will help a very sick
person to move himself better than it
could be done by the most skillful nurse.
Put up iron screen sockets 50 stoutly
there can be no danger of giving down,
and fasten half nch ropes TO them, and
at the ends of the ropes put hand pieces
of soft cloth or webbing. Set the sockets
about three feet apart, so as to give room
for all possible movement. By connect
ing these hand stlrrups you can form II
swing in which, if well cushioned. a
chronic invalid may rest-sleep, even
with the head and shoulders lifted to rest
on the cushions; this greatly relieves the
pack after long lying.