Flowers don’t smell so nice to some people

By Charlotte MacAulay

King County Memorial Hospital isn’t a scent free environment said emergency room patient.
Teri Morris, Pembrooke, said on a recent trip to the emergency room for an allergy reaction she had trouble getting flowers removed from the front desk.
Ms Morris said even though she called ahead, because she knew an encounter with flowers would make her symptoms worse, there were still flowers when she walked in the door.
For her it isn’t a mild allergy. When there are strong scents in the air around her, symptoms can be as bad as her throat swelling. The hospitals throughout PEI have signs that read scent free environment.
“ People just don’t realize that flowers fall into that group,” said Mr Morris.
“People need to be aware it’s a matter of life and breath for some of us,” she said.
She had to be put on a vaporizer for a half hour when she was finally seen at the hospital. Once she received medication she was on her way immediately.
“I moved fast to get out of the hospital before someone else came through the door wearing scents, and or/carrying flowers.”
Director of Corporate services for Health and Wellness, Glen Doyle said he can’t comment on specific cases. “There is a policy that has been in effect since 2002 that generally states the employer will provide as much as possible a scent free environment for staff and patients at all health care facilities in the province, Mr Doyle said.
All staff go through an orientation one how to regulate the policy. “Policing is sometimes a challenge and we have asked people to go home and change from time to time,” Mr Doyle said.
The only hospital in PEI that has added flowers to their policy is the Prince County Hospital, he said. A staff member had a severe reaction to the scent of flowers and now they have some kinds banned outright and the local flower shops are made aware of what can be brought in and where.
“It is becoming more and more of an issue these days,” Mr Doyle said.
The low scent policy they have in effect at Souris Hospital discourages the use of scented cleaning and laundry products said Edna Miller, director of nursing.
As far as visitors go they are informed of the policy if staff finds they are wearing a strong scent. “If a patient is in distress we have asked people to wash it off and people are usually quite okay with that.” Flowers are allowed in the hospital, but they are removed if the need arises.
Ms Morris said she has learned to adapt her life to avoid having a reaction, but when she does all she can and nobody listens it is disheartening.
Ruth Van Duiven, Montague, has to adjust her lifestyle to avoid scents a too. Ms Van Duiven has a scent allergy as well, but she said she is lucky her symptoms don’t get as severe.
Fresh flowers aren’t the only scented thing in the hospitals she said. The hand sanitizers are not scent free.
“I cope by bringing my own hand cleansers with me and I try to avoid places where I know scents will be strong.”
There are times when she can’t avoid it either. “If I go out in my back yard and someone close by is using a scented dryer sheet I have to go back inside”, she said.
If there were more fragrance free products available for people to chose then it would be easier for them to keep their scents down so the rest of us could breath a little easier she said.