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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-11-19, Page 26A. little help from tecwher. conies in with cough and a runny nose, he won't be allowed into the room. She is asking co-operation from families in keeping children at home if they have colds or other illness, visiting: hotsato 4.30:R.,m_. and 7 to '8,30 The childrenitiay visit only during normal p.m., but she hopes parents "t #ry to. keep them in the room,for an hour and a half, she said. Youngsters tend to become bored and start running up and down the balls, disturbing the other patients, She said she anticipates fathers will bring the children in when they come in for a visit after supper, • She isn't expecting any problems, but so far the new program has gone untested -- all - the pi; mothers in treThopsital last week- were having their first child, Mrs. Lee reperted, AY'LIMY BOSS Mother's gone to the hosPital to have a baby, leaving Laura, 2, and Michael; 3 V2, at horse with Dad, That's okay with them; Dad"s being extra kiwi' and 50metimes funny„like,' yesterday when he forgot toput the top on the blencler while he was helping them make strawberry milk shakes, But when Dad goes to visit Mom and the new baby, Laura and Michael have to stay with Grandma. Laura likes Grandma, but she Wants to. see Mother, and baby, brother too. Doesn't Mother want to see her? What she dotte?...„....„..:. _ . Laura hasn't done anything, of course, it's just the hospital has rules that no one under the age of 14 can visit in the rooms. So Laura and Michael will have to wait till Mother comes home again. Maybe, not A number of hospitals, Wingham and District Hospital among them, are moving toward family-centred maternity care which allows youngsters to come in and visit with Mother and baby brother or sister during regular visiting hours„ The new program started here on a trial baSis last week, and if no serious problems crop:up during the three-month trial period it will be /continued. The program originated in a proposal from Mary Lee, obstetrics co-ordinator at the hospital, Dr. D. T. Jolly reported; The idea is to keep a family together during' an important stage in the development of the family, the addition of a new 'member, which asually, involves separating the mother from the: family for a period of time. So long as it doesn't increase the risk of infection to the newborn, it's a good idea, he said, and in places where it has been tried, there have been no significant increases in infections. The family Yisiting program is an addition to two other special programs already in place at the ,Wingham hospital: extended visiting privileges for fathers, and a room- ing-in program for Mother and baby, Since early 1978 a father has been able to visit mother and baby in their rOoM, and to touch, hold and help feed the baby, between • noon-and--8.30 The rooming-in program, also available for several years, allows a mother to have the infant with her in the room all the time, instead of in the nursery. It is available if the-mother requests it and her dector agrees, Dr. Jolly explained, :but is subject to the consent of a roommate or wardmateS'if the mother is not an a private -mom, The request rate has-been very low, he added, only about one in 100, which is just as well since if everyone Wapted it, the hospital couldn't accommodate it. Not all mothers know it's available, he, said, and not all want it; some need the rest These programs are attempts to make the hospital stay less traumatic emotionally, he explained, noting that one of the benefits of advances in disease control has been to permit doctors and nurses to spend more time dealing with the psychological aspects of a stay in hospital. The changes have been slow in coming because the medical profeigien has learned it must proceed carefully, but they are beginning to appear more and more often. Mrs. Lee reported the idea of family visiting came from looking at other hospitals which have tried it and from nursing journals; "This type of visiting between siblings and the newborn is a much better way of introducing the newborn into the Nfamily unit," she said. There is less jealousy when the baby arrives at home. She cautioned that only siblings are permitted to visit the new brother or sister; no other children under 16 are allowed into the room with the mother and baby. All visiting as still at the discretion of the nurse on duty, she' added. If a two-year-old *from Page I might think this is happening'too frequently, he noted, Mr. Hayes later said he hives, the hospital won't haveto dip into its capital funds, about $300,000, for this project, since they all are committed to purchase and replacement of equipment notably the new ultrasound unit and replacement of radiology equipment. "The equipment we have to . replace is very expensive stuff, and that's the end of that fund," said Hayes. He alio commented that the recent changes in succession duties have had quite a negative effect on the number of bequests received by the hospital, and consequently the capital fund hasn't been growing very quickly. : Dr, R. B: Treleaven reminded the board that Alexandra Marine and General Hospit- al, Goderich, doubtlesi will be approaching- Ruroa County for a donation toward its new million-dollar building - Program, and this could cut into, the grant Wingharn is count ing on. ' "Goderich. has been into that trough rather substantially in the past few years," Mr. Hayes remarked, and it should be pointed out to the county that it's someone else's turn. ° As 'of last December Goderich has drawn out nearly $450;000 .from the county's hosPital reserve fund, he reported, while Wirighatit had received about $130,009, Exeter $184,000, Seaforth $96,400, and Clinton $75,000; Operating Deficit Down lkother business, Mr-Hayes reported the hospital's operating deficit has started to come down and he is projecting a break even by 'the year end next March.. "We're really not in too bad shape at this moment ..if the ministry would jest, sent us the money 'they owe us, we'd be in great shape," be commented. Board members also learned about actiy- ities at the mental health resource centre from Co-ordinator Joy Daymond. She report- ecl the centre provides a diagnostic, and, rehabilitative service for people having psychological problems or problems of social adjustment. She~ showed Slides of activities at the centre, including living skills, grottp diScus., sion and recreation. . Dr. J. C. McKim, praised the program, which he said has been "a real boon for us"; it's been good for the patients and the doctors too, he reported, noting it "takes time-consuming problems off •our shourd- ers ' . Don burne Sometimes a little dancer needs some help with the laces of ber dance shoes. Jennifer Dalton Is' taldng highland dance in s class at St. Joseph's School, Kingsbridge Monday nights, end she has sonic difficulty getting her dance slippers laced hp. Her instructor Lisa Frayne provided the assistance while class members, upper left, counter clockwise, Sarah Brophy, Rhonda Hogan and Wendy Mlitenharg, look on. [Sentinel Staff Photo] a wood stove The consumer column of a daily newspaper recently carried advice for people who arc interested in buying a wood stove to heat their homes. The column tells of the inexperienced public buying a wood stone and not being informed how to install it or operate it safely. A woman in Hamilton bought a wood-burning stove from a major department store. She lit her first fire and sat back to watch it burn, only to realize the appliance was supposed to be connected to a chimney. The sales clerk had not bothered' to tell her. A man in Halifax, also uninformed about installation, put his wood stove in the basement and tried to exhaust it through the heating ducts of his furnace. He was alarmed when smoke erred out of every hot-air re .istes_in_hi house. Luckily, the whole structure didn't burn down. Andy Pratt of Langside Supply, a local retail and wholsesale outlet specializing in alternate energy .products„ says approximately 65 per cent of the people who are installing wood stoves to supplement their oil furnaces do not have their stoves properly installed. "It is up to The customer to Install the stove properly after we inform them how to do it," says Pratt. Andy and his partner Peter Gerster will also install stoves they sell; if the customer decides he wants them, to. This column, The Consumer Game, carried in the Globe and Mail November 20, states that many retailers are failing to inform buyers of the basic safety rules concerning wood stove selection and installation. Now that the federal government has provided financial incentives for wood heating in the recent budget; there is the additional concern that ill-informed dealers, out for a -fast buck will flood the market. Under the subsidy program, homeowners can receive grants of 50 per cent, up to a maximum of $800, for conversions from "oil totenewable energy-sourcesrlt-ii-- indicated the government will insist on appliances which Turn to page 22. " • 44.)k L" I v'. 6$14