Tersia Burger, CEO and founder of Stepping Stone Hospice, visited Alberton Retirement Village on 17 April to speak to residents.

She shared information about hospice care and explained the benefits of having a living will.

A living will is a written document where you record your wishes about medical treatment at the end of life, in case you become too ill to communicate or make decisions.

“These documents are not about giving up. They are about staying in control, ensuring your voice is heard even when you cannot speak,” said Tersia.

The choices that can be included are a person’s wishes about resuscitation, breathing machines, tube feeding, dialysis, intensive care and where you would prefer to be cared for. You can also state that you want comfort care, including pain relief and symptom control.

Residents were encouraged to think about their wishes, write them down, and keep a copy at home, and to share copies with family, their doctor, clinics, or Hospice. This helps family members and doctors know what to do in difficult situations.

They were also reminded to keep these documents safe and to update them when their lives change, and they had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about their life choices. Back home, so to speak, ladies at the retirement village came together and knitted 329 teddy bears.

The Agape group collected and donated these teddy bears to five organisations, including Hospice.

They handed over the teddy bears during the get-together with a message of hope that these would bring comfort to patients. The gesture was also to show appreciation to the Hospice for the information they received.

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