Holy Cross Home Frail Care
Services
Holy Cross Home has become “home” to sick, elderly and frail people from all walks of life. It is a 24 hour service given to 84 frail and extremely frail people at any given time. The Home provides quality, basic and specialised nursing care, respecting, protecting and promoting life up until death. This is achieved through a holistic approach to health care encompassing the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and social well-being of those in our care, irrespective of race, culture, creed or social status.
Services encompass the following:
Holy Cross Home has become “home” to sick, elderly and frail people from all walks of life. It is a 24 hour service given to 84 frail and extremely frail people at any given time. The Home provides quality, basic and specialised nursing care, respecting, protecting and promoting life up until death. This is achieved through a holistic approach to health care encompassing the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and social well-being of those in our care, irrespective of race, culture, creed or social status.
Services encompass the following:
- 24/7 holistic, comprehensive residential service to 84 frail elderly and sick people.
- Supportive, holistic, comprehensive home-based care for 106 sick people in Soshanguve and the areas surrounding the Home. This service is provided in the comfort of their own homes, ensuring continuity of health care in the community within the principles of Primary Health Care.
- Training of Home Base Care workers (3 month programme) which equip people with skills to care for the sick in their homes – an urgently needed service in the light of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
- Provision for sheltered employment for mentally ill members of the local community.
- Assistance (and full care) in personal hygiene
- Three daily meals and teas (most of our residents need to be assisted with eating)
- Personal animation and physical exercises
- Spiritual accompaniment
- Maintaining facilities in which our residents live and function
- Medical and nursing care
- Continual social integration
- Reflexology and pedicures
Facilities
The Home provides single and shared accommodation for all residents, a dining room, recreation rooms, treatment rooms and a garden. There is also a chapel in the Home.
Staff
Residents of the Home are taken care of by qualified health and palliative care staff, a social worker and auxiliary staff Students from different health care colleges are also accommodated during their practical studies and assist with the care of the residents while in training.
Training:
Holy Cross Home believes in the upliftment and development of its staff. At present there are two enrolled Nurses doing a bridging course and eight Nurses upskilling themselves doing Nursing auxiliary courses. Funding is needed for the continuation of the training and upskilling of these and other Nurses.
Challenges
To offer services in frail care is an expensive undertaking. Furthermore some of the residents are unable to contribute to their care due to poverty and misfortunes in their lives. Many of the residents do not have any family members left that can render assistance. Therefore the Home needs to provide the basic essentials as none of these residents will be turned away.
Funds contributed by the Department of Social Development and fees collected only cover a fraction (±40%) of the actual budget of Holy Cross Home. The deficit of the funds for the care, maintenance and upkeep of the facilities needs to be raised through initiatives such as fund-raising and from donations. Fund raising efforts are, among others, sale of second hang clothes, bi-annual fète, fashion show, “sponsor-a-room”, etc.
Commitment
Holy Cross Home commits to the care of our elderly in providing the best possible quality of living, making their sunset years as comfortable and enjoyable as possible within a tranquil and peaceful environment.
The Home provides single and shared accommodation for all residents, a dining room, recreation rooms, treatment rooms and a garden. There is also a chapel in the Home.
Staff
Residents of the Home are taken care of by qualified health and palliative care staff, a social worker and auxiliary staff Students from different health care colleges are also accommodated during their practical studies and assist with the care of the residents while in training.
Training:
Holy Cross Home believes in the upliftment and development of its staff. At present there are two enrolled Nurses doing a bridging course and eight Nurses upskilling themselves doing Nursing auxiliary courses. Funding is needed for the continuation of the training and upskilling of these and other Nurses.
Challenges
To offer services in frail care is an expensive undertaking. Furthermore some of the residents are unable to contribute to their care due to poverty and misfortunes in their lives. Many of the residents do not have any family members left that can render assistance. Therefore the Home needs to provide the basic essentials as none of these residents will be turned away.
Funds contributed by the Department of Social Development and fees collected only cover a fraction (±40%) of the actual budget of Holy Cross Home. The deficit of the funds for the care, maintenance and upkeep of the facilities needs to be raised through initiatives such as fund-raising and from donations. Fund raising efforts are, among others, sale of second hang clothes, bi-annual fète, fashion show, “sponsor-a-room”, etc.
Commitment
Holy Cross Home commits to the care of our elderly in providing the best possible quality of living, making their sunset years as comfortable and enjoyable as possible within a tranquil and peaceful environment.