Hospice commemorates national Hospice Week

National Hospice Week highlights the role of partnerships in providing palliative support and care for people with life-threatening illnesses. Starting on May 3 and ending on May 10, the week aims to generate greater awareness about Hospice and the work the non-profit organisation does.

Hoping to educate the community, Hospice East Rand shared information to dispel myths surrounding the NPO and the work it does.

“As an NPO, Hospice provides palliative care to improve the quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses through the prevention and relief of suffering, the early identification, assessment and treatment of pain and other psychosocial and spiritual concerns,” said marketing and media liaison Jonquil Siepman.

She said psychological and spiritual aspects are taken into account when caring for patients and when providing emotional support and counselling for family members. Siepman highlighted that Hospice affirms life and regards dying as a normal process.

“We neither intend to hasten nor postpone death.”

Myth one: Hospice is for patients with cancer.
Fact: Hospice care is provided to any patients diagnosed with any life-limiting illnesses, such as end-stage cardiac disease, lung disease, stroke, HIV, TB, end-stage motor neurone disease, end-stage multiple sclerosis and cancer.

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Myth two: Hospice is a place to send people to die with dignity.
Fact: Hospice provides holistic care for patients suffering from life-limiting conditions and care can be provided through patient admissions at certain facilities to provide respite care and terminal care in cases where families cannot cope at home.
Hospice East Rand focuses on providing palliative care in the comfort of our patients’ homes rather than in an in-patient facility.

Myth three: Hospice care is only for people giving up on life.
Fact: Hospice is not about dying.
It is about helping patients and their families cope with a life-limiting illness and our aim is to help improve the quality of life of patients.
We want to see our patients live their lives to the fullest they can with the time they have left.
Hospice care is about compassionate care that adds life to days rather than days to life.

Myth four: Palliative care can only be provided in a facility.
Fact: Palliative care can be provided wherever a patient is, whether it is at the patient’s home, clinic, old age home or frail care facility.

Myth five: Hospice care replaces a patient’s healthcare provider.
Fact: Hospice care works hand in hand with a patient’s existing team of healthcare providers.

Myth six: Hospice care is expensive.
Fact: Hospice care is accessible to all patients with life-limiting illnesses who meet the admission criteria.
Hospice care is funded through medical aids and non-medical aid patients are charged a set fee at the end of each month.
Provision of our services is not dependent on the ability to pay.

Myth seven: Hospice care is only for patients with a few days or weeks to live.
Fact: Palliative care is certainly not about dying.
While we walk an end-of-life journey with our patients, palliative care is about improving the quality of life of our patients through pain control and symptom management whether that is physical, emotional or spiritual.
It is far better to reach out for support sooner rather than later.

Myth eight Hospice care ends with a patient’s death.
Fact: Hospice care extends beyond a patient’s death with bereavement and grief support for family members by trained Hospice counsellors as needed.

Visit the website or call Hospice East Rand on 011 422 1531 for more information about Hospice East Rand’s services or how you can assist it.

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