Wednesday, September 5, 2007

chapter 10 : part 7 Gift Suggestions

continued from chapter 10: part 6

There were some things I would have liked for Hal's comfort but I never had time to track them down and hospitals seldom have more than one of the extras.

Egg crate mattresses topper. Made of soft foam or water-filled plastic, these mattresses prevent sharp bones coming in contact with a standard hospital mattress.

Sheepskin cover. Meant to lie on, with or without the egg crate mattress. Acts as a buffer between the body and the mattress.

Soft pillows.Down-filled pillows are perfect, but anything soft will do. I learned to tuck pillows of various shapes and sizes around Hal for optimum comfort.

Books. If you’re not sure what the patient has read, bring along a catalogue from a book store or the latest book review sections from the newspaper and let him choose.
If your patient is a voracious reader, offer to do a weekly library run.

Sheepskin booties, for want of a better word. They prevent the feet from chafing against each other.

Fruit and flowers. These old stand-by’s are fine, although you might check about allergies first. Hal’s favorite flower arrangement was a dramatic arrangement of Birds of Paradise and they lasted for a long time.

You can look into bringing DVD movies in or the patent's favorite music. find out what equipment the hospital finds acceptable

I'm sure a lot has changed since I made this list but I am certain these items are still needed.

continued in chapter 11: part 1

No comments: