The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-03-16
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NURSING
THE SICK ROOM.

The choice of the sick room Is very
important. A patient in a dark, poor
~ ventilated one has harder battle
to fight than one in a properly select
ed room. It should be on the sunny
side Of the house, we'll ventilated and
as far as possible from the noise of
the streets and the odors of the
kitchen.
In arranging the room, all unneces-
sary furniture should be removed, es-
pecially bric-a-brac, which forms a
repository for stray germs. The floor
Is preferably bare, although small
rugs or strips of carpet should be laid
down to deaden the noise of foot
steps. Place the bed in a position so
that the direct light from window
does not fall on the patients eyes.
Provide an artificial light that also Is
shaded from the patients eyes, but
which can be turned on brightly in
case of necessity. Sudden changes may
arise In the night, when a good light
is an absolute necessity and few mo-
ment's delay may mean disaster. In
cases Of diseases of the brain or eyes
the physician will probably wish to
keep the room darkened. Care should
be taken that the curtain or shade
does not flap in the wind and so annoy
the patient.
The temperature o. the room should
be kept as even as possible. Remem-
Der that the temperature usually falls
at night during the time when the vi
tai powers of the patient are at the
lowest, that is, in the early morning
hours. Because of this, care should
be taken to provide extra covers at
that time. Unless otherwise directed,
1t is safe to keep the temperature Of
the room for fever patient at about
60 degrees Fair. For patients aff1ict-
ed with other diseases, the thermome-
ter should register about 68 degrees
Fair. The temperature of the room
must be regulated by turning the arti-
fetal heat off or on, not by closing
windows that are needed for ventila-
ton. In some cases dry heat from a
furnace is very irritating. This may
be remedied by keeping a kettle of
boiling water in the room. To keep
the room cool in hot weather is not
always an easy matter. Keeping the
blinds down and the windows closed
on the sunny side during the day will
produce very good results. A wet
sheet, hung in the window or where
a breeze will blow over it, often is a
material aid in cooling the room. If
an electric fan is used, care must be
taken that the direct current does not
strike the patient.
Good ventilation is necessary in
every disease. Formerly patients were
confined in dark rooms with all doors
and windows closed. It is surprising
how many recovered under these con-
ditions. Sunshine and fresh air are
two most potent remedies. In
cold weather it may not be desirable
to have the windows open in the pa
TENTS room, but in this case windows
in an adjoining room should be low
cred and the door between the rooms
lClC OpCA. Usually IAOu6A, VIC 1OOlIl
can be ventilated directly. Raise the
window about six inches from the bot
tom; fit board tightly under it.
Fresh air will then came in between
the two sashes and danger of direct
draft on the patient will be avoided.
Every morning the room should be
thoroughly ventilated by throwing
open all windows and doors for few
minutes. Before doing this, the patient
should be covered with one or two
extra blankets and light covering
thrown over the face. Do not re-
move this extra covering at once when
you close the window, but remove it
gradually as the air in the room re-
gains it's normal warmth.
1t is better not to keep any plants
or flowers in the room, but if the pa
tient desires few during the day
they may always be removed at night.
Keep all medicine bottles, empty
glasses, ETC., out of sight and if pos
sible out of the room.
All eXcreta, soiled linen and dress