Evening star., 1948-10-22
NNS Nurse Tells How Care
Restores PoroIytic's Hope

blue uniform was talking about her
work as . staff member of the In
structive Visiting Nurse Society, a
Red Feather agency of the COM
munity.
Nov the old gentleman is feeling
like the head of the family again" !"
said Miss Dora McNeill. "a.
"All his children were married
except two. One was in school and
the other was working. He was
retired and on a small pension.
HE had paralysis. His wife wasn't
well, either. The doctors decided he
had thrombosis. The blood clots
caused pressure on the spinal cord
and that resulted in the paralysis.
"It was Just a matter of trying
to bring back what use they could
to his legs.
Family Discouraged.
His family was very much dis
couraged and had about given up
hope. You know, a family will do
and do and do, and then 1t gets
tired. And the man felt he was OF
no use 10 the 1amly.
ST started going and giving
him general care three times a week.
When I first went in on the case
he had decubitus ulcers from not
moving around very much.
II was interested in getting him
to move. Now he's at the place
where he can get into his wheel
chair and is ready for some occu-
pational therapy. We're trying some
leather craft.
THE other day he went to his
daughters wedding and gave her
away. He had thought he would
have to miss that"
Miss McNeill had planned to be
school teacher during her school
days IN Charleston, S. C. Then the
Cadet Nurse Corps movement dur
ing the war gave her the idea OF
being a nurse instead.
Studies for Degree.
Nov can't see anything else"
she said.
She took her training in Wash
Iington and spent the final six months
with the IVNS. She now is studying
part-time toward her bachelor Of
science degree. g..
"One thing that makes you feel
good about working with the IVN6,"-
she said in an interview at IVNS
headquarters in the Albee Building.
lis the way people you help grow to
depend on you.
There are the chronic cases who
have no contact with the outside
world and look forward to having
you come in. But I think most of
us enjoy the babies as much as
,6nyln.Eg.
You show new mothers how to
bathe the babies and prepare the
formula and then watch them while
they do it.
"Once in a while, you'll find a
mother isn't able to do for the baby
Then you'll teach some one else Iii
the family.
7 Fathers Learn Easily.
Fathers are very good to learn.
Usually they don't know anything
about it at all in the beginning. But
they catch on very easily and keep
wanting to know for sure If this is
right or that is right.
And when you go in on a new
case you really don't know what
you're gong to get into.a
1T isn't too infrequently that we
60 in on an emergency. We call
the district doctor or the family doc
tor and II the case Is really bad, he
calls an ambulance. We don't
handle cases unless there Is q doctor
on them"
/ Each of the 43 nurses Of the IvNS
has a district in which she makes
her daily rounds. She tries to help
home patients to help themselves
as much as possible. For instance,
diabetes are taught, according to
their doctors instructions, to ad-
minister their own insulin.
Patients pay what they can af-
ford-sometimes it might be just q
car token. From 10 to u per cent
Of the patients are receiving care
free or for the small amounts they
nop nav