Know what all the symbols mean

[saphireSue]

In our hospital leaves on the door, signify this person is a fall risk and should not be out of bed alone.

If I saw this on the door and the patient moving around in the room, [which one might do if they saw a clown coming down the hall], I could alert the nurse this pt is getting up alone.

there are symbols for isolation too. NEVER, NEVER go into one of these rooms.

In ours blue tape seal the door, meaning it has been cleaned for the next pt. if some one breaks the seal then cleaning staff has to disenfect the room all over again.

This are just a few for example symbols maybe different at other hospitals.

[Sassafras]

If you have a patient who's on oxygen, you mustn't take in anything that'll spark. That could include a gimmick or a battery-operated balloon pump. It'll say clearly on their door that oxygen is in use. And it is HIGHLY flammable!

[Scooter_MaGee]

Originally Posted by Sassafras

If you have a patient who's on oxygen, you mustn't take in anything that'll spark. That could include a gimmick or a battery-operated balloon pump. It'll say clearly on their door that oxygen is in use. And it is HIGHLY flammable!

TRY TO BLOW UP A BALOON AND BLOW UP THE HOSPITAL THEY MAY NOT ASK YOU TO COME BACK

[saphireSue]

it's better to not take balloons, latex alleries are often unknown. Some hospitals do not allow them for this reason. they can make latex free gloves when will they do balloons? I severly allergic to penicillin and for some reason this increases my risk for developing the allergy, and that I use the gloves regularly.

[Sassafras]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Instead of needing the hospital, everyone would need the coroner because I blew the hospital up. Not a cool situation!

Good thought about the latex, Sue. I'm mildly allergic to it, but I rarely use latex gloves, so it tends to be forgotten.

[saphireSue]

sassy if you're mildly allergic, I know you don't care for balloons much, and you really shouldn't do them, you are more at risk for a big reaction if you're already alleric.

[Jolly Well]

PVC balloons. We have had some success using the 63" long Inflate Bongo Sticks from Oriental Trading Company (Item # IN-49/749). The down side to these is that they are not easy to twist. Problems twisting these range from it being hard to judge exactly how much to under-inflate them, to the bulk involved in twisting them, to the vinyl's tendency to let go when twisted too tightly. When I use these I tend to leave 6 inches at the valve side. Keeping the tail at the valve side allows you to open the valve and adjust the amount of air in them fairly easily. To deal with the difficulty twisting these, I use small zip strips to make the bubbles in the vinyl balloon, clipping the excess off very close to the head of the zip-strip. I only use actual twists when absolutely necessary. Even when I actually twist them, I try to use a zip strip when possible to avoid any hard twists.


Poly Tubing. A number of balloon artists have had some success using poly tubing in place of their balloons. Poly tubing usually comes on a roll, allowing you to make any length balloon you need. You will have to select with thickness (from 1 mil to 12 mil) and widths (from 1/2 inch to 12 inches and up) for your needs. Poly tubing can not be effectively tied and is generally closed using a heat sealer. Sealed poly tubes can generally be twisted much like normal balloons, however you will sometimes find that zip strips are indispensable when twisting these. On the down side, poly tubing comes in a very limited selection of color (clear is common, and you can sometimes find yellow). A google search for "Poly Tubing" will turn up venders for both the tubing and the sealing machines.


I know it isn't much - but it's something; and it's a start. There are rumors going around that their are some new attempts at latex free balloons being looked into - hopefully they're true.

[Fitzwilly]

Jolly, I am glad to see you sharing some of that vast wealth of wisdom you have. This is good stuff.

[Sonshine D Clown]

I know in this area, a full white face clown is a "no no" to hospitals - but ok for nursing homes. Latex balloons are a BIG "NO NO" - mainly due to allergy reactions at hospitals but are very accepted at nursing homes. FULL white face clowns ARE NOT welcome in the big malls... although Sonshine did walk the entire mall... 2 floors shopping with 2 or her 'normal' friends... and past the security guard station... but was escorted out ...as we were walking to the exit anyway.... was told the "Full face cover - was not allowed due to Homeland Security"... Could just seen the nightly news.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! handcuffed - clown - coming out of shopping mall with shopping bags in hand...

[Fitzwilly]

I like the new avatar. Did you have the Princess create it special for you?