Hospice palliative care is a type of medical care that focuses on the provision of holistic, inter-disciplinary treatment, including comfort and support to individuals who have been diagnosed with a life limiting illness. Hospice palliative care can be provided in a variety of settings, including hospice in-patient support centres, nursing homes, frail care centres and in patients’ own homes.
Helderberg Hospice are Palliative Care Specialists (Palliative Care is a holistic method of improving the quality of life of a patient, and their loved ones, who are directly affected by a life-threatening illness.) Our services are available to patients at home as well as through a specialised, short-term admission 24-Hour Support Centre. The unit offers…
Written by: Fiona Nell One is somehow always aware of there being a hospice nearby. Whether the full extent of their services becomes known, is I suppose, is dependent on the relationship entered into between hospice and the ‘patient’ & their family members. Towards the end of 2019 my mother-in-law Lorna started losing weight at…
Thandi, as we will call her, was in her early 20’s and recently had undergone an amputation at the knee as a result of osteosarcoma. She was admitted to us from Tygerberg Hospital, one of the large State hospitals in Cape Town, so that she could recuperate from the operation. Unlike the other patients who…
Written by: Dianne Waddington, Head of Social Work Many of us were taught that grief follows a stage-like progression, and once we have completed a stage, we will move on to the next with the last stage being acceptance. And with acceptance, no more of the chaos of grief. Unfortunately, grief is not an orderly…
It’s a deadly combination: South Africa’s scourge – TB – and the pandemic HIV/Aids. Where there is one, there is frequently the other; both interlinked in a complex dance of disease and deprivation. Like lethal shadows, the one stalks the other, masking symptoms, complicating treatment, spiraling the mortality statistics ever upwards. Jack was destined to…
The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit Nelson Henderson A bequest is a gift in your will which costs you nothing now, and is a significant way of keeping your ideals and compassion alive while making a lasting contribution to the specialized care of…
Referral Forms All patients accepted into our home care programme must be formally referred by their doctor, hospital or clinic. Referral forms are available from the referring doctor or by email via nursing@helderberghospice.org.za. It is important that all three forms are completed. The forms are: Medical form – to be completed by the patient’s Doctor/Specialist Personal information…
Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that the intense emotions associated with grief can be overwhelming and traumatic. Our social workers together with our trained volunteer bereavement supporters, provide bereavement services and support to family members, to assist them in coping with the death and in making the necessary adjustments required in order…
Patients and their families who are affected by terminal illness are confronted by a number of difficulties which may include family conflict, unresolved relationships, depression, anger, and anxiety. Added to this are worries about practical issues such as financial strain, employment, future care, and care of minor children in the family. It is important to…
The 24-hour Palliative Care Support Centre at Helderberg House is a 10-bed facility offering 24 hours nursing and is used primarily as back-up for the home care service. It is licensed by the Department of Health and accredited with the Council of Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA).
Cancer can be beaten, and to all cancer survivors: “You are a warrior! And Warriors don’t quit! Cancer is just one chapter in your life and not the whole story.” During the month of June, Helderberg Hospice is celebrating all the unsung heroes who have survived the dread disease that has many faces – cancer. Our…
