Newsletter from South Coast Hospice AGM 2nd November 2023 The Hospice Association of KwaZulu-Natal will be holding their Annual General Meeting via Zoom commencing at 10h00 on (Thursday) 2nd November 2023.  Contact medical@hospice.co.za for the AGM Zoom link Letter from HPCA to the Desmond Tutu Foundation Follow this link to read the special words in honour of this special man who supports Hospice and Palliative Care as with many Human Rights he supported.  Read it Here End of year events – Highway Hospice The Highway Hospice holds their Tree of Light on the 2rd December 2022.  This touching and special event is a community tradition where they invite everyone to honour the remembrance of a loved one lost too soon.  The famous “big blue Christmas Tree” at the top of Florida Road sparkles with dedicated globes.  You are able to purchase your globe, in support of their work, and to pay tribute to the legacy of your loved one at their website www.highwayhospice.co.za all through December.  Follow them on Facebook to join in the ceremony online if you prefer? HAKZN – 2021 AGM The date is set and we will be running a Covid AGM this year.  Please contact Paula through medical@hospice.co.za to get the Zoom link should you wish to be part of the AGM. Look forward to seeing you online on the 12th October, and in person soon! Support our South Coast 5 or 10km Fun Run South Coast Hospice in Port Shepstone will be hosting a Fun Run on the 24th September 2021.  The fun starts at the Uvongo Fishing Pier from 7am.  Please support this worthy cause, and keep that special body of yours in good shape!  More Details Here…  News from Zululand Hospice Our friends at Zululand Hospice have sent out a newsletter describing their latest updates and news.  You can read it here  Zululand News – Jan/Feb 2021 Great Comrades News See the attachment for great news from The Comrades Marathon Committee here Dear Friends It has been a trying past 6 months. While some wished 2020 would end we buckled down and pushed through. The Zululand Hospice Association has continued caring for their patients, their families and community members throughout the National Lockdown that started on 27th March 2020. While many other workers were at home during Level’s 5 -3, Zululand Hospice’s clinical team were out in the community, in urban and rural areas, seeing their patients in their homes. We cared for 48 – 52 patients (5 Children) during the past 5 months with constant new admissions and the unfortunate loss of some of our patients due to their terminal illness. What a privilege we have to be able to guide support feed and ease the pain and dress the wounds of those at the end stage of life. We found during this pandemic that Hospice Palliative Care is needed more than ever. Patients and their families are seeing the benefit of home-based care due to some of the restrictions currently imposed at health care facilities. One such story during this time of COVID-19 highlights the benefit and need for home-based palliative care. Patient Story: A family contacted us distraught as their husband/father/grandfather had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. It had spread rapidly and was affecting his ability to breathe and walk. It was a very uncertain time for them, but one thing he was sure of was that he did not want to be admitted to a hospital where he would be isolated from his family and possibly not see them again. Hospice stepped in and advised and supported him and the family and they were very happy for him to be at home with them. Hospice contacted their pastor as well and everyone was on the same page as to his choices and the way forward. Sadly, he passed away within a week. The family, whilst heartbroken, were very thankful to be with him when he passed away. We are most grateful to the patients and their families who allow us into their homes and lives and we are so happy to assist with the patient’s wishes, this is why we do what we do.

All Government COVID-19 regulations are adhered to including screening all staff daily and issuing staff with all PPE’S. All staff adhere to infection control measures at all times. On these visits the patient and household members are educated on COVID—19, infection control – of washing hands and supplies and sanitising hands and surfaces they were supplied with masks, Jik and soap as needed. To reduce the risk of infection some patients chose not to be visited but instead the nurses do telephonic support and counselling with drop off food plates and, nappies and medication as needed. During this period, we continued to provide medical equipment to our patients and the community. Caring for the community and having all hands-on deck means Zululand Hospice still have all of their usual expenses but unfortunately not the same income. Charity Shop Income decreased during Level 5 lockdown in particular as they were closed for a month, and then during Level 4 were able to open but with limitations on what they were permitted to sell as per Government COVID-19 regulations. They could not welcome two groups of American donors who usually visit annually in May and October.  Lockdown restrictions on international travel and risk of infection stopped them from coming and therefore stopped the Hospice from receiving the medical supply donations they usually bring with them. These supplies are vital to the quality of care to patients and their overall well-being and comfort. Some of the supplies are wound care , PPE’s  and infection prevention items. These wonderful volunteers were so kind as to still send the funds that was generated during the year for ZHA. We hope to welcome them back to South Africa in 2021. All fundraising events were halted due to Lockdown restrictions. We are forever grateful to the members of our community who support us throughout with financial donations, donations of items to sell in our charity shop and donations in-kind, like maintenance at our offices or for repairs to our vehicles and patient care items like nappies, blankets and Morvite.  PLEASE don’t stop giving.  “Together we can make a difference.” Should you need to discuss care for a patient please contact Zululand Hospice Clinical Manager, Sr Jane Ashburner. Tel: 035-772 4910 / 035-789 1961 Should you want to make any form of donation please contact Zululand Hospice Fundraiser, Mr Ashley Naicker. Tel: 035-789 1961/ 067 2000 167 Zululand Hospice Clinical Team cleaning and sanitising the home of a bedridden patient. Visiting an old GOGO to supply medication, nappies and food. Upcoming Events Hospice Golf Day – Saturday 28 November 2020

Once again want to thank all our Sponsors and the Community for all the caring and support that we receive- this enables us to continue with the work that we do as we are finalizing the financial year-end we stand in awe to see how much we receive in IN-KIND DONATIONS that save on our expenditure account. In the difficult times ahead, we can all just look UP as we reach OUT to those in need of our help.

Highway Hospice in the news:

Highway Hospice continues to care for patients

Covid-19 Message from Msunduzi Hospice

The world has drastically changed around us and we are all struggling to come to terms with this change and wondering what the world will look like once this pandemic has past? We will be left with scars and those scars will change the way we interact with one another and the way we view ourselves. I trust that these scars will enhance the beauty that we see around us and which lies within each and everyone of us.

Msunduzi Hospice, just like everyone else, and all other service providers around us is not unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In saying this, please note that Msunduzi Hospice is still providing care to all of our patients who most need it. There are some patients who for very obvious reasons do not want to be visited (they have self-isolated) and they do this for their own health reasons. This is completely understandable. There are some patients who do not need our care at the moment and for the safety of our own care team they will be contacted and support will be offered telephonically until this pandemic is over. For those of our patients who are most reliant on our services, these services will continue to be provided by our team of dedicated and professional nurses and social workers. The care givers have been asked to stay at home for now and their services will only be called upon if and when we need them most urgently. All our group interactions such as Day care and the children’s groups have been cancelled until further notice. This was decided on a few weeks ago before the lock-down was announced. As a consequence of this decision, you will still see the occasional Msunduzi Hospice vehicle driving around delivering patient care.

Please note that all other services available from Msunduzi Hospice are currently suspended until either the lock-down is lifted or until further notice. In particular the shops are closed and the depot will not be open to receive your donations. The recycling collection bins are also not available. The Wall of Remembrance is not accessible. All our events for the next few months have been cancelled or postponed such as the Easter Fair (cancelled), Art exhibition (postponed) and Night of the Stars Jazz evening which has been provisionally postponed until November. This has had a noticeable impact on our cash flow.

While we are on lock-down the following are the best means of communication:
– cellphone – 0826999105 – please do not call the land line as no one will answer it.
– e-mail – hospice@hospicekzn.co.za will be answered once or twice a week and the e-mail forwarded to the correct person to deal with. Other e-address that can be used are:
vijaya@hospicekzn.co.za
warren@hospicekzn.co.za
pcmanager@hospicekzn.co.za
financemanager@hospicekzn.co.za

As with many NPO’s during this difficult time our resources are being stretched to the limit and we call on the community of Pietermaritzburg and all our supporters around South Africa and the world to continue your support of our programme of care in whatever way you can. To this effect our telemarketing programme will continue and you may be contacted in this regard. Please note that there will be no collections of money. Please make all deposits by EFT. You will be provided with the relevant banking details.

You can make a donation by clicking this ‘DONATE’ button which will take you to our Payfast account.
A crowdfunding initiative has been launched and details are provided below.
For the most up to date information please visit our Facebook page often, as all relevant information can be found there. Facebook also provides you with a means to contact us and these messages will be responded to within 24 hours.

“Improved quality of life through relief of pain and other distressing symptoms” this is one of the primary goals of Palliative Care and is what we strive for in the care provided by Msunduzi Hospice. I would like to share the story of a patient we admitted recently to demonstrate how simply this can be achieved with patient, family co-operation and effective team work.

Mr Samuels [not his real name] is an elderly gentleman who developed a tumour on his spine and subsequently became paralysed from the waist down due to spinal cord compression. On our first visit we found him with severe pain in his back and legs. His legs and feet were grossly swollen due to lymphoedema, his bowels had not acted for many days, causing abdominal pain, he had bad oral thrush, causing mouth pain and he subsequently had no appetite and had lost a lot of weight. As a result of his immobility he had severe bedsores the length of his spine, plus a necrotic sore on his heel, which, when the dressing was opened, was found to be full of maggots. He was extremely despondent and his family were anxious and distressed.

Basic interventions were initiated to treat the constipation and oral thrush, and within a week there was a big improvement. The pressure sores were dressed appropriately and the family and carer were shown how to do the dressings themselves. We liaised with the doctor at the pain clinic at his local hospital, who commenced him on morphine syrup, and a few days later Mr Samuels told me that the syrup was “magic”, that he had gone from being in constant pain to being basically comfortable.

Despite the fact that our interventions have not changed the course of the disease nor the poor prognosis, life for Mr Samuels and his family looks brighter, thanks to effective team work, with full buy in from the patient and his caring and supportive family, and backup from the hospital doctors.

This then is what ultimately makes Msunduzi Hospice work so rewarding – making a difference in the lives of our patients and their families. Helping patients and their families through specialised care to live and die well.

Show that you care by clicking on this link and helping us continue to provide this very important care.

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/help-us-continue-care

South Coast Hospice in the news!

Follow the link here to see some of the amazing work being done at South Coast Hospice as we celebrate their COHSASA Accreditation process.  Well done guys!

Khanya Hospice AGM

Some of the members who attended the 34^th Annual General
Meeting of Khanya Hospice on Thursday afternoon. After a looooong days’
work, CEO Neil McDonald just want to “take a break” and that’s just
what he did – on the floor. J Our AGM’s are always well attended and
members, friends of Khanya Hospice and the general public get to hear
the annual overview, the growth, the challenges, not only the
financials, but also the Nursing Care side. We are not government
funded but are thankful for people who kindly think of Khanya Hospice
and donate, either cash, or in kind, or furniture, clothes,
brick-a-brac and support our shops. We also very thankful for all the
volunteers helping us either in our shops, fundraising, selling raffle
tickets, and there are also people who offer care and support to our
staff – they also need it. And A BIG THANK you to the local newspapers
for always helping us to be “there” and create and awareness and to
tell people what we do. We cannot “show and tell” we can only tell.
Should anyone need to contact Khanya Hospice, you can call us on +27
(0)) 83 597 8985 or Hospice@scottnet.co.za