Drakenstein Palliative Hospice provides a free palliative home-based care service to the Drakenstein District; from Saron to Simondium, including towns, informal settlements and farms. Patients are admitted by Professional nurses who compile a care plan. The patient is presented to the palliative doctor and the interdisciplinary team for consultation and referral to other team members; the social worker, home based carers, massage therapist, Butterfly House Groups, teachers etc.

The team do regular home visits, depending on the condition of the patient, and may transport the patient to Butterfly House Programmes. During the visits a physical, social, emotional, spiritual and knowledge assessment is made which informs the individual patient care plan. Medication is regularly checked; efficacy and side effects monitored and new medication may be prescribed and delivered. The home-based carers may assist with physical hygiene, pressure care, symptom observation, medication control (TB & ARV’s) and the social worker may deal with emotional and social issues.

The Drakenstein Palliative Hospice staff are trained as palliative care specialists. The Professional Nurses e.g. focus on active symptom management which includes the ability to assess and manage symptoms in a holistic approach supported by the interdisciplinary team and the social workers specialise in counselling and bereavement.

Our interdisciplinary team consists of:

The roles of this team overlap, the sisters may do psychosocial care or the social workers may have knowledge around pain management, the teacher may do ‘play therapy’ with the children or the doctor may be a listening ear. However, the Prof Nurse is responsible to see that quality care is maintained and the Social Worker is responsible for the social work etc.

The Drakenstein Palliative Hospice Team currently consists of:

• 5 professional Nurses: Mariaan Myburgh, Cherryl Pienaar, Anne-Marie Swart; Cynthia Johannes and Mandy Batts.
• 3 social workers: Justine Goliath, Fiona Brophy and Lee-Anne Bushby
• 2 teachers: Philida Bantam and Petro Rhode
• 20 Palliative Home Based Care Workers
• 1 sessional Play Therapist: Linda Santilli
• 1 sessional massage therapist: Orali Alcock
• 1 sessional psychologist: Peter Molchin
• 3 sessional doctors: Neil Loftus, Anton Kotze and Inge Pashke

We provide Patient-centred Care that incorporates respect for patients’ values and preferences, provides information in clear understandable terms, promotes autonomy in decision-making and attends to the need for physical comfort and emotional support.

This team works in a transdisciplinary manner. The Patient, the Hospice and the Community all contribute to the holistic care of the patient. We bring our expertise and knowledge, the patient brings their values and preferences and the Community brings support and ensures that we remain sensitive to cultural and spiritual opinions which may differ from our own.

We also recognise that there are many extraneous factors which may influence the care of patients. People are many sided and we endeavour to be respectful of these sides.

DPH Free Admission Criteria

We do not have an in-patient unit, all the care given, is home based.
See attached patient statistics for a month

1. PATIENTS WITH AN INCURABLE ILLNESS
   E.g. cancer, Aids, terminal diabetes, terminal CVA, congestive cardiac failure, motor neuron disease etc., requiring holistic palliative care.
   
   
2. PATIENTS SPENDING MORE THAN 50% OF THEIR TIME IN BED
   Based on the diagnosis and physical needs of patients.
   
   
3. HIV/AIDS PATIENTS
   Patients who have little or no insight into their illness and have symptoms of Aids
   Patients with a CD4 count below 200 who do not qualify for anti-retrovirals
   Patients with a low CD4 count newly put on anti-retrovirals to monitor side-effects and adherence
   Patients who have symptoms of Aids and need active symptom management
   Patients with a CD4 count below 200 who need psychosocial support
   Vulnerable infected children
   
4. ORPHANS & VULNERABLE CHILDREN
   Children whose parents could potentially die
   High risk children because of neglect, abuse, malnutrition, substance abuse, extreme poverty and illness.
   
   
5. TB DOTS MANAGEMENT, ANTI-RETROVIRAL MANAGEMENT, SEVERE PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES & SEVERE MENTAL RETARDATION.
   Care of patients on anti-retrovirals and TB Dots management when patients cannot get to the clinics.
   Severe mental retardation and psychiatric illnesses we assist the family where appropriate.