J U N E 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 1 5
I
f your ears begin to
feel the pinch from
wearing masks all
day as you return work
during the coronavirus
outbreak, reach for a
Barrel of Monkeys. It's
one of the many games
my colleagues and I
use to help children
and families cope with
the stress of hospital-
ization. When our ears
began to ache from
wearing masks for
hours on end, we
incorporated monkeys
from the barrel into
our unofficial PPE pro-
tocol. Attaching the
hands of the monkeys
to the elastic bands of facemasks takes the pressure off our ears
and makes wearing them more comfortable.
Heather Stohr, MS, CCLS
Norton Healthcare
Louisville, Ky.
heather.stohr@nortonhealthcare.org
Monkeys Make Masks More Comfortable
Heather
Stohr,
MS,
CCLS
PPE PEARL
HELPING HANDS Toy monkeys support the elastic bands of masks to take
pressure off the ears.