DEAR HELOISE: I work as a nurse in the ICU in a major metropolitan hospital. As many people know, hospitals have relaxed their rules about the length of a visitor’s visit, have done away with age limits for children to visit and have implemented many other restrictions. As a nurse, here are a few requests to make the process smoother:

�–� Know that if you must bring small children, we will not “keep an eye” on them for you. We’re working. Please keep them with you at all times for their safety.

�–� Please do not smoke in the patient’s room. This includes vapes. It happens more times than you can imagine.

�–� Please do not bring any food or drink to the hospital for a patient without checking with the doctor. This also applies to any “home remedies” that someone swears by as a cure.

�–� The HIPPA laws say that we cannot share most information about a patient’s condition or treatment. Please don’t ask us to break the rules or the laws for you.

�–� If you are visiting a patient and the doctor is there, do not ask the doctor to diagnose any of your ailments. They are there to see the in-house patients and don’t have time to make a diagnosis for yet another person. Make an appointment with their office.

�–� And last of all, do not threaten the hospital staff with legal action or physical violence. This never helps and can get you barred from the hospital.

P.S. Everyone on the nursing staff reads your column daily! We love your hints and advice.

— Patricia H., R.N.

DEAR HELOISE: Our funeral home asked us what we wanted to do with the flowers. They said that if the families don’t want the flowers, they donate them to churches or assisted living / nursing homes. We donated the flowers but took the plants.

After a catered dinner at a restaurant, we had a lot of food left. The family took what they wanted, and we gave the rest (a significant amount) to the Salvation Army. We took the leftover cake to the nursing home where my mother had lived for two years to share with the staff and residents in her wing. It was greatly appreciated.

I even got a phone call thanking me and asking where we got the delicious cake. Nothing went to waste, and it brought joy to a lot of people.

— Liz N., via email

DEAR READERS: With the rising cost of living, it’s important to check for air leaks that let heat out and cold air in. Windows, doors and other problem areas need to be checked carefully so that you don’t have a huge utility bill.

— Heloise