Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-05
WORK OF VISITING NURSES
Report Of the officers Of the Association for
the Past Year
INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN IN CARE OF SICK
work Has Never F1nseed for Lnck oi
Funds, Despite the Severity of the
Past Winter and the Heavy
Demands Made for Help.

The officers of the Visiting Nurse AS
sociation have made their annual reports
upon the organizations third year Of success
full activity, and in them are shown the sy5-
tenn and scope CT the relief work carried on,
The year has been busy one, over 400 cases
having been cared for. Deaths among these
! numbered twenty-three, the larger part oil
which we're from chronic diseases.
The active superinteudence Of the work
| has been done this year, as last, by Mrs, w.
! r. Adams, whose services have been entirely
! gratuitous. During the first seven or eight
| months a nurse was employed for the whole
Of her time, but for the remainder OF the time
Mrs. Adams has engaged nurses from day to
| day. and the plan has proved so satisfactory
| that the association is still working without
a regularly employed nurse. There have been
| many cases in which emergency nurses were
! supplied to stay as long as necessary--cases
! of scarlet fever, measles and cholera in
fantum, and those requiring night nursing
Perhaps the larger part of the associa-
tion nurses work is the instruction Of those
| having care Of the sick. Upon first entering
a home the nurse talks with the members Of
the family until she has gathered the main
points Of the situation, found out what the
doctors orders have been and how they have
| peeu lOllOWeu, HOteu lne principal CndnBeS
and improvements needed and gained the
confidence OF both patient and family. Then
she shows how the patient should be dressed.
how the bed should be made, bath given in
bed without allowing the patient to take
cold, what nourishment should be given and
how. In case of rheumatism she rubs the
patient gently and leaves her much more
comfortable than before. When the case de-
mands continuous attention the nurse leaves
| with promise to return the next day at a
stated hour.
Sometimes the nurse finds an apt pupil in
some member Of the family, as was the case
| with the wife of a man seriously i'll with
pneumonia the past winter. The man was
| the head OF large family and could lily
| nave been spared, but through his wifes
capabilities as nurse and the instructions
| OF the visiting nurse his life was saved.
seven visits day Is the average days work
FOR the nurse. The distances are so great
IN Omaha that great deal Of time is con-
sumed in getting from place to place.
Mrs. Adams says in regard to the Coop
| Grafton with which the association has met
| The work that has been accomplished
could never have been done without the
hearty cooperation Of other charitable or
ganizations of the city and the doctors, who
have never failed to respond to our call
The hospitals have been our good friends
taking patients free on our reconmenda-
ton. The Sisters OF the Good Shepherd the
salvatlon Army Rescue Home and the Child
Saving Institute have all helped in their diff
lerent lines OF work. From the Associated
Charities we have had many favors And
though last, not least, our thanks are due
the county agent, gentleman we often cal
upon and one by whom we are always cour-
teously treated and helped out of our diff.
ficulties if possible"
} MISS Mcpherson, secretary, says that al
though the question Of funds was at first tn,
most serious one before the association, We
funds have never been lacking, despite th,
many calls for help and the unsuaI seyerit,
of last winter More than ever before tn,
nurses have been used by those willing t.
pay slightly for their services and the asso
citation Is glad to send it's nurses to thos
families as we'll as to the destitute sick. An,
sum handed the nurses, however small, il
, gratefully received and added to the gen
eral fund.
Interested friends of the work have sub
: scribed so generously the past year that i
has been necessary to give but two entertain
3 ments. The membership list, however, wa
$ comparatively small. Since an increased lis
would make the association financially in
dependent the association aims to make tn
r roll for 1900 reach 1000.
s The present officers of the association are
d President. Mrs. Clement Chase; vice presi
9 dent Mrs. Herbert Rogers; secretary, Mis-
r Louise Mcpherson; treasurer, Mrs. Thoma
0 Fitzpatrick The directors are: Mrs. w. F
Adams Mrs. Dan Cameron. Miss Nellie Ben
y nett, Mrs. T. w. Taliaferro, Mrs. Harol
Clifford. Mrs. Charles Metz Mrs, Alexande
Polack, Mrs. George A. JosIyn, Mrs. F. ]
Emerson, Mrs. Thomas E. Godfrey Mrs. {
w. Clarke. Mrs. Albert Noe, Mrs. C. "
e Damon, Miss Mccarthy, Mrs. Charles Cos
Mrs. j. P. Lord, Mrs. Arthur c. Smith, Mr.
s. r. Towne. Mrs. p. d. McGrath Mrs. l
G. Moriarty, Mrs. C. S. Chittenden.