There have been moves by the hospital to liberalize visiting arrangements, but the growing threat of hospital infections and the increasing pressure on hospital staff and facilities have necessitated the drawing up of more restrictive visiting guidelines. These guidelines include the following:
- Do not bring children (especially small children) to the hospital, unless it is absolutely necessary.
- Please do not bring outside food, snacks or drinks for the patient without first clearing it with the nursing staff.
- Never use patient's bathroom. Because of certain privacy issues, it's not always common knowledge of all of the things that are wrong with your loved one. Perhaps they may have infectious virus that you can easily pick up from the toilet.
- Check with the nurse to make sure the patient can receive flowers. Certain conditions such as headaches or respiratory problems for example can be made much worse by smells or allergens.
- Always talk in a gentle manner keeping the voice low.
- Try to choose one family member to be the contact person.
