Focus Groups-Terminally Ill

SERVICE
Hospice

DEFINITION OF SERVICE
Hospice for terminally ill people

LEGISLATION THAT DIRECTS THE SERVICE
Mental Health Act

BACKGROUND/INTRODUCTION
Hospice is a community based non-residential facility that provides a specialized area of holistic care for people who are terminally ill and their families. It is made up of group of people from the community, some are salaried, but the majority are volunteers. Each person in hospice has made a decision to offer their caring skills and time to, people in the community who are not well.

There are day care or social clubs in hospice, which are run by volunteers. The terminally ill people in the community join in these clubs and spend their daytime away from home and most people in this club enjoy the break away from home.

AIMS OF THE SERVICE
The aims of this programme include;

• To establish and control a hospice programme of total care for the dying patient and his family which provides
  • a multi disciplinary, co-ordinated continuum of hospital and community care
  • palliative and supportive care to meet the needs which may arise out of the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and economic stresses associated with the final stages of illness, death and bereavement.
• To promote within the community and all sectors of the medical services the concept of community care.

Hospice also provides pre-test and post test counseling to HIV/AIDS patients.

WHO RENDERS THE SERVICE?
The Hospice care givers are mainly volunteers who are trained in this field. They work with people bereaved, people with cancer during their treatment or with people who are HIV positive or AIDS.

Hospice has professional nurses who provide all forms of medical care and counseling services to Terminally ill people. They try to dispel myths about HIV and AIDS by giving verbal and written information, educating the family with regard to nursing procedures involving body fluids, disposal of refuse, encouraging regular medical attention and eating and drinking habits.

Hospice programme is not a department of social development programme nationally. This programme has started in the Eastern Cape in 1997 due to the community need. It started with funding of 5 projects; one in Port Elizabeth, one in Grahams town, one in Cradock, One in East London and another one in Umtata.

All of these projects are still operational and presently there are 625 terminally ill people, majority of them are HIV/AIDS infected and affected patients, receiving service from these projects. All the above projects are sponsored and managed by NGOs/CBOs and the department pays a subsidy of R500 per person per month.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SERVICE?
The service provides a specialized area of holistic care for people who are terminally ill and their families in a residential setting.