Five years and still growing
Caring for those at the end of their lives is their core function and for the last five years the Overstrand Hospice has been taking care of terminally ill people in the community when they are possibly at their most vulnerable.
The Overstrand Hospice aims to provide sustainable, professional home-based palliative care within the Overstrand area from Rooi Els to Pearly Beach, and to promote palliative care through education, training, supervision and mentorship in collaboration with networking partners.
Kobus Esterhuysen, appointed general manager of the organisation in May 2011, said 90% of the Overstrand Hospice patients are cancer patients. Many other hospices care predominantly for HIV and TB patients, and in the last 20 years “the whole world has been pumping money into Aids care”, explained Kobus.
“We are very lucky that we are able to fill a very specific niche,” said Kobus, who was involved in palliative care training at the Breede River Hospice in Robertson before moving to Hermanus.
He attributes the stability of the Overstrand Hospice to its board members, who are very committed and involved in every aspect of the organisation.
Another outstanding element that ensures the continued success of the Overstrand Hospice is its volunteers. There are around 120 “quality people” involved in the volunteer programme.
Kobus said the Overstrand Hospice is financially sustainable, has a solid strategic plan in place and works according to clear policies and procedures. He agreed that the hospice has established a solid foundation on which to continue growing.
In its first year of operation the hospice cared for 34 patients and families and made 285 home visits. The average number of patients under care at any one time increased from 10 in 2007 to between 45 and 60 in 2011.
Patients are referred to the hospice by their doctor. The service is free, and there are no restrictions on race, creed or economic circumstances.
Patient-care manager Sister Gerna van der Riet has been at the helm of the Overstrand Hospice’s palliative care service since her appointment in January 2007.
Gerna’s dream is for the organisation to branch into education and awareness training. With her diploma in nursing education, part of the training plan for the year will include the training of nurses at the provincial hospital in palliative care, as well as Huis Lettie Theron’s staff later in the year.
Gerna also completed a course in palliative care in paediatrics after recognising there was a need to care for terminally ill children in the Overstrand community.
Since then a support group called the Alexa Tag Team has been established for this purpose.
KERRY VAN RENSBURG
Source: Hermanus Times