Hospice keeps families in mind too
In a hospital everyone knows how difficult it is to manage everyone’s needs
Hospice East Rand will promote awareness of palliative care in Ekurhuleni during the week of May 6-13 which is Hospice Awareness Week.
Hospice East Rand is a community-based organisation whose mission is to provide high-quality, holistic and non-discriminatory care to patients with life-limiting diseases and their families.
Sister Sindisiwe Mdlalose, the patient care manager for Hospice East Rand, says: “When I joined Hospice I learnt about a different way of caring for patients. I learnt about the holistic approach, which is an approach that does not just focus on treating the patient, but also looks at their emotions, the family’s emotions and many more factors. Palliative care is a beautiful concept and it is one I am extremely passionate about.”
She describes her experience with Hospice and palliative care and explains the difference Hospice East Rand has made in the communities they serve.
In 1998 she came into contact with Hospice for the first time. A friend of hers had mentioned that she was working for Hospice and had only positive things to say. Sindisiswe then became interested in finding out more about this concept of Hospice and palliative care.
“I have noted that families really do take on the burden of their loved one’s illness just as heavily as the patient and, at times, they feel really hopeless, lost and confused. That is where our counsellors come in and talk to them and give them peace of mind. This is a very important point for me and very underrated.
“You focus so much on the patient, when in fact, the family needs just as much focus.”
Sindisiwe then dug deeper to explore the impact Hospice East Rand is making in the communities it serves. “We treat all of our patients in the comfort of their own homes. It’s a better setting because there is better comfortability and they are at peace with their loved ones by their bedside.”
In a hospital, everyone knows how difficult it is to manage everyone’s needs, and at times, you are left very isolated which leads to a lot of poor care in that setting. For Sindisiwe, the quality of Hospice and home care is better when compared to hospital care.
She feels strongly that the health department needs to be more open-minded about the impact Hospice and palliative care can make in South Africa’s health system.
Hospice East Rand can be contacted on 011 422 1531.
