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Chapter 15—In the Sickroom
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Those who minister to the sick should understand the importance
of careful attention to the laws of health. Nowhere is obedience to
these laws more important than in the sickroom. Nowhere does so
much depend upon faithfulness in little things on the part of care-
givers. In cases of serious illness, a little neglect, a slight inattention
to a patient’s special needs or dangers, the manifestation of fear,
excitement, or petulance, even a lack of sympathy may tip the scale
that is balancing life against death and send to the grave a patient
who otherwise might have recovered.
The efficiency of nurses depends, to a great degree, upon physical
vigor. The better the health, the better will they be able to endure
the strain of attendance upon the sick, and the more successfully can
they perform their duties. Those who care for the sick at home should
give special attention to diet, cleanliness, fresh air, and exercise. The
same kind of carefulness on the part of the family will enable them
also to endure the extra burdens brought upon them and will help
prevent them from contracting disease.
Where the illness is serious, requiring round-the-clock nursing,
the work should be shared by at least two efficient nurses, so that
each may have opportunity for rest and for exercise in the open
air. This is especially important in some homes where it is difficult
to secure an abundance of fresh air in the sickroom. Sometimes,
because the importance of fresh air is not understood, ventilation is
restricted, and the lives of both patient and caregiver are endangered.
If proper precautions are observed, the disease need not be taken
by others. Let the habits be correct, and by cleanliness and proper
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ventilation keep the sickroom free from poisonous elements. Under
such conditions, the sick are much more likely to recover, and in
most cases neither caregivers nor the members of the family will
contract the disease.
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