Evening star., 1954-04-25
Problems Today
Visiting Sick
Called Act
OfNercy
By MurieI Nissen

How long has 1t been since |
you've visited an invalid-not a
close relative to whom q duty |
visit was required, but stranger
or an acquaintance for whom it |
was an act of mercy? No people |
are as conscious Of the axiom,
"Out Of sight, out Of mind" as |
too many Of the chronically Ill. |
One day a woman may be an |
active, sought-after member of |
an organization; then she's |
stricken with a disabling illness
and sometimes forgotten by every
one she ever knew. The job of |
keeping her up to date with the
world falls to the parish visitor,
or some other lone soul who has
an growing list Of people
who must be seen.
It's an unglamorouS job-call-
ing on the sick. It doesn't carry
the credit of committee chair
manships, corsages, or honorary
titles; its reward is just the
cheering up of a lonely invalid.
The reward is enough for those
who heed the admonishment,
BE not slow to visit the sick"
but the trouble is there aren't
enough people to carry on the
missions adequately.
I receive so many letters from
women who are confined at home
with arthritis, heart trouble,
! paralysis, or the disabilities of
old age, lamenting the thought
lessnesS of their erstwhile COM
panionS. It's mighty lonely ly-
ing in bed or sitting in a Wheel
chair all day with no outside |
contacts but family ones-and
sometimes even those are lack |
ing.
The most satisfactory way to |
make an overall coverage of i'll |
members is for every club or
group to have a welfare commit
tee whose job it is to make sure |
no one is neglected. Cards are
terrific morale builders; BIRTH |
day. get-well. sorry-you're-ill,
or prayer cards will help many
q day get off to a good start. |
Occasional round-robin letters,
to keep the bedridden posted on |
club doings. should be part of |
the program. But personal visit |
ing is most important.
The arrival of, say, two visit |
ors armed with cake or cookies |
for a pleasant afternoon tea, will |
chase the gloom from a sick |
room. Why not make such a
welfare activity part of the fall |
program in your particular |
group? Just for q trial, put it |
into practice now, and have the |
extra few months to put the |
plan over.
There are q few groups of |
women dedicated specifically to
visiting the chronically i'll, the |
lonely, the forgotten, but their |
number is not sufficient to meet |
the demands. It's up to Mrs. |
Average Housewife, even with |
her own full schedule, to devote |
two or three hours weekly, or
biWeekly, to this much needed
service.
Don't leave it up to someone
else; make a motion for this
additional activity at your very
next club meeting. Or, If you
prefer to work on your own,
adopt some i'll and lonely man or
woman. and make it your per-
sonal project to see that he or
she gets special attention. Per-
haps, at first, you might find the
invalid's conversation a bit bor-
ing, especially if it's concen-
trated entirely on the topic of
illness. However, remember that
being confined within the four
walls Of one room, the invalid
has little opportunity to acquire
subject matter for interesting
talk.
Your task is to bring news and
new ideas to the sickroom. Very
often you'll be amazed at the |
wit, philosophy and charm of
old people. and quite likely you'll |
get as much as you give in these
visits. Remmeber, too, that some
day you may be in the same boat.
and would welcome most heart
lily cheerful visitor. In accord
ance with the Golden Rule, do
your good deed now and you may
reap in kind later.
Write MurieE Nisser for free
IeGfet DIG, "Guide to Gracious
LiUino." In all cases, be sure to
tlcloSe stamped, selt-Gd-
dressed envelope and send re-
quest to her, care of the Wonl-
ems Department. The EueninO
Star, Washington 4, D. C..