Sister Lucy rejoins Hospice East Rand

Hospice East Rand recently welcomed Sister Lucy Verbeek back onto its staff after an absence of five years.

Sister Lucy is a qualified palliative care nurse with a compassion for people living with a life limiting illness.

Palliative care means specialised care for people suffering from a life-threatening illness and when cure is no longer an option.

Sister Lucy is a home-based care nurse and works exclusively in the Bedfordview and Edenvale areas.

Sister Lucy originally worked for Hospice East Rand from 2002 to 2009 and left to pursue other avenues of nursing which were not as emotionally draining as hospice work.

She worked for an Aesthetics practice in Benoni and later for the Gauteng Cornea and Eye Bank before rejoining Hospice earlier this year.

Sister Lucy had a great desire to work for Hospice again because of the special love she has for this type of work and the close connection with the patients.

Hospice East Rand is a non-profit organisation which was founded in 1986.

The hospice services the whole of the Ekurhuleni region and has a nurse working in every East Rand town, with the exception of Alberton.

The Hospice East Rand provides professional care for patients diagnosed with cancer, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis (TB), end-stage Motor Neurone Disease and multiple sclerosis.

They also provide care to children diagnosed with cancer and patients in the terminal phase of a chronic illness.

Patients who are registered with the Hospice East Rand are visited by Sister Lucy in their own homes. She manages their symptoms such as pain, nausea, constipation, incontinence, bed sores, disturbed sleeping patterns and gives advice on dietary problems. Sister Lucy also educates the patient and their family on medication use.

Ms Brenda Bisschoff, the administration manager for Hospice East Rand, said the hospice offers home-based care as well as 24-hour specialised care in their In-Patient Unit.

“We also have daycare programmes for ambulance patients once a week in Benoni and twice a week at our centre in Vosloorus. Hospice East Rand offers holistic care to patients with a team comprising of doctors, palliatively trained nurses, a social worker and a social aux worker. We have a team of trained volunteer caregivers who offer patients and families emotional support and a bed bathing team,” she said.

Ms Bisschoff said the hospice is always in need of volunteers to assist in their various charity shops. A list of shops and contact details is on the group’s website, www.hospiceeastrand.co.za

“We also run a Caregivers Course for people interested in becoming volunteer caregivers. A charge is levied for the course. Volunteer drivers are also needed to transport patients to the weekly daycare programme in Benoni. We have a group of willing and enthusiastic volunteers called Friends of Hospice who assist with fundraising events and projects. New members are always welcome,” said Ms Bisschoff.

Enquiries for any of these can be made by phoning 011 422-1531.

Ms Bisschoff said hospice care is recognised by most medical aids and will pay for hospice services.

Donations of clothing, household goods, furniture and general bric-a-brac for the charity shops are also welcomed.

Ms Bisschoff said the shops provide a valuable source of income for the organisation. They have two charity shops in the Edenvale area. The shops are at 27 Central Avenue, Eastleigh and Shop 48 in the Harmelia Centre, Shelton Avenue, Harmelia.

The charity shop coordinator is Ms Marion Lomberg and she can be contacted on 011 420-0672 or 011 422-1531.

The Hospice would also appreciate any financial aid from companies, service clubs and the general public.

“We are appealing to cyclists to ‘ride with a purpose’ in the 94.7 Cycle Race in November and to register to ride for Hospice East Rand,” said Ms Bisschoff.

Contact Ms Laura Kirsten on 083 274 5288 for more information.

The community can connect with Hospice East Rand through its website, Facebook page and the media.

Sister Lucy is happy to give a talk about the work of hospice to any interested groups, schools or clubs.

Sister Lucy can be contacted on 084 577 2000.

Enquiries regarding care for a patient can be made to 011 422-1531.